Betrayal and Redemption
by fire mystic
Summary: On loan from Shinra, Reno and Rude are assigned as bodyguards for Bryn, unaware of the plot against her. RenoxOC. This is my first fanfic. Let me know what you think. Complete!
1. Introductions

_I've never done fanfic; I've hardly ever let anyone read my writing!_

_This is a first...please be gentle._

_There's just something about Reno. In fact, in all fairness, I should warn that this isn't so much an FFVII fanfic as a Reno fanfic. I just kinda borrowed him for a mission and a bit of fun. Rude, Elena, and Tseung get an appearance or three, but only where it worked. I hope I got the character right; in my mind, he's a bit (okay, a lot) devilish but has no problem getting the job done, and seems the type that might well take advantage of a situation. I could be wrong, but that's what I tried for._

_Rated M for suggestive scenes and more-than-suggestive scenes._

__

_Is this where I put the disclaimer? I do not own FFVII or any of the characters, not even the game, and I have never played the game. _

_Enjoy._

Introductions

She was too old for this. Twenty one was too old to be under constant supervision. Forget explaining things, she had to get permission just to breath, it seemed, and it was becoming unbearable.

Her father was worried, overprotective, and not without good reason, she knew. There had been more than a few assassination attempts on his life, and a few close calls on hers, from which she was whisked away before she even knew what was really happening. She could almost understand instances like that, especially when it involved public appearances, but not being able to even leave the house without permission was taking it too far.

She was starting to feel claustrophobic, locked in, over-protected, and only just a slight bit rebellious about it. Never one to break the rules, she had lately found it not only necessary, but easy, to justify breaking them, slipping away unnoticed whenever possible and sneaking out of the house, even if it was for something as simple as going for a walk.

Bryn was suffocating, and that was all there was to it.

She had finally pushed her escapes too far when she lost her father's bodyguards while walking through town. It had been too easy; just a sidestep here and a dodge down a sidestreet and a quick turn into another. She had returned home a couple of hours later to find her father in a state of fear combined with anger that she had never witnessed in him. She had been restricted to the house for the three days since, having to answer for every step she took outside of her room. It wasn't the worst punishment when she considered the bodyguards had been fired. She hadn't wanted that, and didn't feel it was fair, but her father was having none of her pleas, and had sworn that until he could find bodyguards that could guarantee her protection, she would not step foot outside of the house.

She knew he was only looking out for her safety, but she also knew he was being unreasonable. She had heard Derrick, the security director, arguing with him about the two body guards that were fired, telling him that in order to protect Bryn the way he wanted it done, he would have to seal her in a bubble. "I'm not surprised she bolted," he had calmly stated to her father. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. You've fired two of my best guards because of this, and you're the one who has driven her to this behaviour. You're going to have to find outside help for this one. I'm not risking losing anymore of my men because of this nonsense." And on that quiet promise, he had left the room. Bryn worried that Derrick might also be fired for his bold words, but Derrick was not a man to be trifled with, and her father apparently knew that as well as she. And, she hoped, her father knew somewhere deep within his mind that Derrick was right.

So here she sat on the window seat of her room, Ipod in her ears, staring at the fresh air outside, waiting for her new security detail. Her father hadn't said a word to her about it except that until she had bodyguards she was housebound. So she waited, wondering if her father was making her wait simply to punish her. And just as she was wondering if escape would be worth hurting herself in the jump from her second floor room, and the later wrath of her father, the door opened and she was looking up at her father, who had the same grimace on his face that seemed to be a permanent fixture lately.

She turned the Ipod off. "You could have knocked."

"I did knock. You apparently could not hear me." He motioned at the Ipod.

"Well, there's not much else to do."

"You have only yourself to blame for your current situation. Speaking of which, your new bodyguards have arrived."

She sat up at the news. Finally, she would be able to get out of this house.

"Before you get too excited, let me warn you about a repeat performance that got your previous guards fired. I had to call in a personal favor from a colleague of mine to get these guards, and you will not embarrass me with another display of careless disregard for your safety. Mr. Shinra was nice enough to offer me two of his personal guards to secure your safety. You will not embarrass me or Mr. Shinra by acting out in any way."

"And if I do?" The defiant words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she regretted it immediately.

The expression in his eyes went hard and cold, an expression Bryn had seen him use with only a few people, and none of them friends. She felt her body cringe under his gaze.

"Suffice it to say, the consequences will be severe. Is that understood?"

A meek nod was all she had in her.

"I will see you downstairs in the den in five minutes where the rules will be made clear to both you and your new guards."

He turned and left the room.

She entered the den to find her father sitting behind his desk, apparently alone.

"Bryn, come in and sit down."

Goddess how she hated when he treated her like one of his clients, but she obeyed.

"I am going to be very clear about this. You are not to leave this house without both guards with you, and you will NOT try to evade them. In the house, you will have one guard with you at all times. Is that understood?"

Bryn was incensed. This was even worse than before! Her father had not gotten the message from Derrick or from her behavior.

"What about when I'm in the bathroom?"

"Well of course you will have privacy there. They will be outside the door and give you an appropriate amount of time for personal care. I have told them, however, that if they think you are taking too long, they are to enter the room. You will leave the door unlocked."

"And when I'm sleeping?"

"At least one will be in the room with you."

"So I'm a prisoner in my own home?" Maybe put that way, he would see what he was doing.

No such luck. There was that cold stare again.

"Until further notice, yes."

"Gentlemen, please." He called in a louder voice. The door opened, and Bryn turned in her seat to see a man walk through the door. He was dark-skinned, with a well-muscled, yet trim body that stood well over six feet. His hair was shaved close to his head, with a close shaved beard as well. He was dressed in a simple black suit, the jacket covering a white shirt with a neatly knotted tie, his eyes covered by a set of reflective glasses. He took a step to one side of the door, and his partner stepped in behind him. He was slightly shorter, thinner, but just as fit. He wore the same suit, minus a tie, and with his jacket unbuttoned and his shirttails hanging out. But most remarkable about him was the shock of red hair in the form of unruly bangs, through which a pair of goggles peeked from where they rested on his forehead. A long thin ponytail hung down his back, and matching tattoos highlighted the most incredible green eyes. His face registered a moment of surprise upon seeing her.

"Bryn, this is Reno and Rude." Both men nodded at her. She couldn't tell if the dark one even glanced her way, but the red-head nailed her with those eyes, which seemed to mock her even as they assessed her.

"Gentlemen, my daughter Bryn. I am entrusting her to your care. Mr. Shinra gave his word I would not be disappointed."

As if on cue, the phone rang. "Now, if you will all excuse me. I have business to take care of." As he picked up the phone, the darker guard was already headed out the door. The red-head looked to Bryn, who was frozen in place. After a breath, he approached, reaching a hand out to wrap around her upper arm. She might have resisted, the fury of the situation still coursing through her, but the contact of his fingers against her skin was electrifying, sending a bolt of electricity up her arm to slam into her heart. He guided her from the chair towards the door before dropping his hand. He closed the door softly behind him, and followed her down the hall, the other falling into step behind him. She glanced over her shoulder at him, not making full eye contact.

"Don't touch me again."

She didn't wait for a reaction, but had she looked at him, she would have caught the rebellious smirk that crossed his face to accompany the mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Back in her room, they were almost invisible. Almost. They stood left and right of the door frame, arms at their sides. The dark one was as still as a statue, but the red-head surveyed the room constantly and Bryn wondered if it wasn't out of curiosity rather than security. He also surveyed her. His eyes often came to rest on her as she moved about the room or simply sat at the window. What annoyed her even more was that she was noticing, which meant she was looking as well. At one point, their eyes had met, and Bryn refused to look away, thinking she would back him down. It didn't work. He actually raised his eyebrows in a curiously challenging expression. "Great," Bryn thought. "I've got a player for a body guard."

After an hour of this, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"I am allowed to leave the house now, aren't I?" She confirmed.

The red-head reached out and opened the door as an answer. She walked up to the door, but stopped short of going through. "By the way. Which one of you is which?"

The red-head smiled, casually lifting a hand to his chest. "Reno. This is my partner, Rude." And his hand swung to indicate the darker man, who simply nodded his head.

Bryn nodded once in acknowledgement and headed out the door.

Outside, Bryn was lost. She hadn't thought past getting out of the house, hadn't planned anything. She just wanted to get out. Now she was outside and at a loss for what to do. She decided to head into town and maybe stop to have something to eat at the Tavern, her favorite place to hang out. Maybe she would run into some of her friends. She was on her cycle when it occurred to her that she didn't know how the two guards would travel with her.

"So how does this work?"

"One of us rides with you," Reno said. "The other rides alone." He nodded at Rude, who was coming around the corner of the house with another cycle. "Your choice."

"Like it matters?"

Reno slid onto the bike behind her, leaning in to let his body mold up against hers. "Doesn't it?" She pushed back to create distance between them, but he was already leaning back, his hands on the grips at the back of the seat. She didn't bother to look back at him; she was sure he was perfectly smug. Instead, she backed the cycle from it's spot, and took off in a plume that would have thrown anyone unprepared off balance. Her victory was short-lived however, as he came forward to catch his balance. His body once again made full contact and his hands clutched at her waist. His breath was warm on her ear. "I thought you didn't want me touching you. If you insist on driving like this, I won't have any choice."

"You're really pushing it, you know?"

"No, not really. But I could if I wanted to." One arm circled more fully around her waist, his fingers pressing gently into the smooth tight muscles of her mid-riff.

She skidded the cycle to a screeching, sideways halt and looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Back off, or ride with your partner."

"That's not how Daddy's rules work, Princess." He smirked, but backed off, leaning back away from her again. He seemed to be taking way to much enjoyment out of the situation. On her part, Bryn was irritated; irritated that she had to deal with this, that her father was being such an ass, that this guy was being so smug, and most of all, she realized, that she was attracted to him. As that thought occurred to her, she quickly turned away from him before he could see the blush take over her face; it wouldn't do any good for him to figure that one out.

Finally arriving at the Tavern, Bryn was disappointed that none of her friends were there. She grabbed a quick bite to eat and headed out to wander down the street, looking in shop windows, not really interested in anything she saw, or even shopping. She was bored, and doing anything not to go back to her father's house. Out of the corner of her eye, she was aware of her bodyguards. Rude was a distance from her, watching the roof-tops, keeping an eye on the bigger picture. Reno was at her shoulder, checking doorways, alleys, generally intimidating anyone who dared to pass too close. She had to admit that despite his attitude, he apparently knew his job, and did it well. He seemed to have a natural knack for backing people down. She found herself becoming more comfortable, safer, knowing that they were there.

That's when the shot rang out.

She was on the ground before she realized anything else. When she managed to turn her head, she found it was Reno who had taken her to the ground and was holding her there with a firm hand in the small of her back. She looked around to find Rude, but he was nowhere in sight, and she assumed he had taken off after the shooter. Reno waited a second before cautiously getting up into a crouch and looking around. He grabbed her arm and dragged her into a store, continuously scanning out the window as he led her to a rear entrance and out again. He made his way back to the cycle, and got on, literally pulling her on behind him.

"I drive."

"Not now, Bryn. I'll be able to move faster with you back there. Hold on."

She would have argued. What made him think he could handle the cycle better? But he peeled out so hard, she barely had time to grab hold, much less argue. She clutched frantically at him until she could get her arms around his waist. She was small, and she tried to make herself smaller against his back, and was glad she did. Reno swore as another shot rang out, and he dodged the bike down another street, heading out of town. When it became apparent that they were being followed, he took the cycle off road, and Bryn found that if she relaxed and moved with him, he was able to maneuver the cycle without much more effort than if he were alone. She began to appreciate that he had insisted on driving. Speed wasn't a problem, but balancing with all the twists and turns was a different story. Bryn would have never been able to keep the cycle upright; she didn't have the muscles for it. So she did her part, making herself as small a burden as she could manage and making sure she didn't fall off.

Reno couldn't help but be aware of the woman behind him, but not for the reasons she was thinking. She was no burden at all; she knew how to ride and knew how to move for balance, and was doing everything she could. What he was aware of was her arms wrapped around his body, her body pressed against his back, shifting with every slight move he made. When he had met her, he had seen the possibility for a bit of flirtatious fun, but it hadn't turned out as he expected. Hell, her touch was like liquid fire going through him, and maybe she wasn't aware of it, but her resistance to him was even more enticing. Every attempt she made at pushing him away made him want to push a little closer. He was playing with fire, especially with a client he was supposed to be protecting, but he couldn't seem to help himself.

Reno took them into the old city, into a series of structures that would make it easy to evade their pursuers. He finally rounded a corner, spun the cycle around, and backed it into a crevice in a dilapidated building that he had known was there but was well hidden. He turned off the engine to wait for their pursuers to pass them by.

Bryn couldn't help but be restless. The darkness of the building, having to remain quiet, the tension of the moment, waiting to be found, made her want to scream, made her want to just run out in the open and get it all over with. After a few minutes, she swung her leg off the cycle in order to stretch them out. It seemed she had hardly moved when strong hands dug into the soft flesh of her arms, restraining her. Reno lifted her quickly and silently until she was sitting back on the cycle, but this time in front of him, both of her legs draped over his left thigh.

"What…" she blurted out before she could think. A hand across her mouth silenced her, and green eyes pierced hers with a warning look that would have silenced her as well if not better than the hand. He held the stare for a second longer and then slowly lifted his hand from her mouth. The eye contact remained, and the moment changed into something else entirely, the warning in his eyes softening. Reno became aware, even more than before, of her body, soft and warm, spread across his lap. Her breathing had become shallow and a bit too quick, soft puffs of air leaving her parted lips to brush lightly against his skin.

Bryn became aware of Reno in the same moment. Heat radiated from wherever her body made contact with his. His fingers had stopped gripping her arms with such urgency and were now simply holding her loosely. His eyes had gone from hard warning to a different type of hardness she hadn't expected from him. Cocky flirtatiousness she would have known what to do with. This look was…hunger. And when their lips met, she could taste that hunger on his mouth. It started gently; their faces moving imperceptibly closer together, their lips finally meeting simply because they had to. They clung tentatively before he leaned into her, the hunger taking over, his mouth becoming demanding, invading, his tongue licking, stroking, as if he were starved for the taste of her.

Reno couldn't get enough of her, but in a dim part of his mind, he became aware of her hands pushing at his chest, and an idea clicked into place. As much as he liked her resistance, he didn't want this to go any further unless she wanted it as well. Her resistance was cute when he was flirting with her, but if he were to push the intimacy level, he wanted her not only to want it too, but to need it desperately. He wanted her hands to be pulling him closer, not pushing him away.

He wanted her to beg for it. And then, only then, might he consider it.

He let her push him away, and took on that cocky grin of his that always annoyed everyone around him.

"Couldn't resist a taste, could ya?"

He had anticipated the slap before it stung his cheek, but he let her get away with it. Grabbing her arm, he pushed her off his lap in one sharp movement and pulled her onto the back of the cycle in the next, ignoring her whimper at his roughness.

Bryn was glad for that whimper, for his brutal treatment. What the hell had just happened? A part of her had wanted that kiss, had relished in it, even while her hands pushed him away. Her face flamed with the flush of her feelings, how she had enjoyed it, the tender testing, the forceful exploration, the taste of him, the feel of him, and how, at the same time, warning bells had gone off in her head, telling her this was wrong, that it never should have happened. How dare he!

Reno managed to get them back home without incident. He waited until their pursuers were a buzz of noise in the far distance, and returned directly to the house. Rude wasn't far behind, and reported quietly to Reno. Bryn didn't overhear the conversation; she was too busy bee-lining it to her room, but she figured it was a report on his findings and any actions that were taken.

Reno followed her to her room while Rude veered off to speak to her father. Upon entering, she tried to slam the door behind her, but he caught it before it hit and slipped into the room behind her, closing the door with a gentle click behind him.

"Don't get any ideas of trying something like that again," Bryn blurted over her shoulder. She didn't see the tilt of his head and the casual shrug.

"I don't remember having to try too hard."

The bathroom door slammed behind her as she closed it between them. She stipped her clothes while the water in the shower heated till it steamed. Getting in, she washed quickly, lathered her hair and then stood in the steaming water, letting it wash over her, nearly scalding her skin. She liked her showers hot, but usually not this hot. For some reason, it felt really good today. Nothing like being shot at.

She finally turned the water off, wringing the excess water from her hair before pulling back the shower curtain.

Green eyes met hers for a long moment. She was frozen where she stood, her mind whirling to figure out how this was happening, and then she remembered her father saying that if she took too long in the bathroom, someone would check on her.

Why hadn't he knocked? Or said something?

He was still staring at her, eye to eye. She refused to move, refused to cover her body. She had nothing to be embarrassed about. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had her in a panic. She stood as she was and challenged him.

"Seen enough yet?"

Reno was leaning back against the wall, slouched a bit, enjoying himself far too much. He shifted slightly at her question, then let himself really take her in. She was incredible, her body trim but well muscled, her skin a rich, creamy color, her generous breasts rising and falling with each breath, which was coming a bit too rapidly. Her hips flared gently over long, well-shaped legs, and he couldn't help but notice that she didn't wax, but evidently trimmed.

He let his gaze wander slowly to her feet, and just as slowly back up till he caught her eye again, and then, holding that contact, pushed away from the wall and approached her with deliberate slowness until he stood directly in front of her.

"I have now…for the moment." He said, and handed her the towel he had removed from the basin where she had left it. With that, he turned and left the room.

After the kiss, she had planned on telling her father if something like that happened again, but now she found she couldn't do it. What was she going to say? 'Well Daddy, he kissed me once before. I know I didn't tell you. That's because I wanted him to kiss me, because I enjoyed it.' And what would she say about him being in the bathroom. 'You should have been there, Dad. He was looking at your little girl naked, fresh from the shower, and your little girl was enjoying every second of it.' And she had enjoyed it, his eyes on her body, her own boldness in not covering herself. Her body was betraying her better sense, but she wasn't going to let anyone know; not her father, not Reno, not anyone. After all, he was just playing with her; it's not as if it would ever be more than a flirtation and pushing the limits a bit.

Reno, for his part was surprised by his own audacity, and even more surprised that Bryn hadn't gone to her father and had him canned. He kept his distance from her as much as possible for the next week primarily because he couldn't stop thinking of her. He couldn't get control of the images that ran through his head every time he looked at her. The memory of her standing before him in the shower, skin wet, was bad enough. It was the other images that almost had him undone. Images of his hands tangled in her hair, holding her still for his pleasure. Images of her arms grasping at him in need, of her breath coming short in lust instead of rage, of those long legs wrapped around him, pulling him to her…he mentally shook himself…he had to stop this. He kept reminding himself that she didn't want him, and that above all else, he didn't want her unless she wanted him. The more he thought about it, the surer he was that he wanted her willing, not resistant, and since that was never going to happen, he had to get these thoughts out of his head.


	2. Breaking Point

A much shorter chapter, but it felt right to end it here.

Breaking Point

Bryn was disappointed. A week had gone by, and Reno seemed more distant every day. There was no flirtation at all. He did his job, and that was it. There were no passes, no smirks, and no smugness. It didn't seem like him at all.

In a way she wasn't surprised. After all, what had it been really; a punk breaking the rules and seeing how much he could get away with? It had provided nothing more than a distraction for him from a boring job. He had probably found some other girl to flirt with, one that he might want to follow through with, rather than one he was just playing with.

The whole idea depressed her, and she loathed herself for it. In what seemed like a second, she went from not wanting him near her, to craving any kind of contact with him. And now she was mentally pouting because he had moved on. Why was she letting it bother her so?

She decided to go out and get some exercise. Maybe if she exhausted herself working out her feelings, she would feel better and be able to get past this. It might also help work out some of the stress of dealing with her father. Reno and Rude followed on cycles as she went for a run, giving her space, but staying close enough to assist if they were needed. When she got back to the house, she headed for the old barn where a punching bag had been hung, and proceeded to kick and punch until her muscles wouldn't let her kick and punch anymore…until she collapsed to the floor with a whimper because she couldn't get her body to do what she wanted anymore. She sat there on the floor for a moment, looking down at her hands in her lap, and was surprised when a tear drop hit her hand and before she could stop it, the tears started to fall uncontrollably, her body shaking with the force of the sobbing, her breath hitching.

Standing at the door, Reno and Rude were impressed with her workout. They were both wondering if her father realized that his daughter could probably handle herself in a fight. But apparently something was bothering her, because she was pushing herself to the limit. When she finally collapsed to the ground, they both waited for her to recover herself, but when the sobs began to wrack her body, Rude looked to Reno, who shrugged. He waited until the sobbing stopped, and her body had collapsed into an exhausted slump before going to her. He approached slowly, not wanting to startle her, but she didn't move, and he wondered if she was even aware of him. When he touched her shoulder, there was no reaction. He wrapped his fingers around her upper arm to help her up, but she wasn't trying at all. He finally gave up trying to help and wrapped an arm around her back and lifted her up until he could get the other arm under her knees, and, with Rude opening doors and keeping a clear path, he carried her back to her room. He placed her gently on the bed, removed her shoes and took the throw blanket from the chair next to the bed to put over her form, which was now still, though the tears continued to fall silently. Reno sat in the chair next to the bed while Rude stayed at the door, and watched her until Bryn's breathing told him that she had fallen into an exhausted sleep. Later, Reno woke with a start, sitting up in the dim room. He could see Bryn in front of him on the bed, still breathing deeply in sleep, and he turned to find Rude still standing watch at the door. He must have turned the lights down sometime while Reno slept. Reno rose quietly from the chair and stretched his stiff body before joining his partner at the door.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You needed to sleep, Reno. This 24 hour a day routine is wearing you down. You're lucky if you get a couple hours a night, if that."

"How long was I out?"

"About six hours."

"Crap."

"Nothing to worry about, partner. Everything has been quiet. Derrick's men are on the perimeter, and Bryn hasn't moved since you put her to bed."

"Yeah, well, since I got some z's, why don't you go get some and I'll take watch."

Rude nodded and headed out the door to the room that was assigned to him. Reno was left standing at the door, which was a good place for him. He didn't trust himself to sit down; it wouldn't do any good for him to fall asleep again. So he stood, and in his usual way of surveying his surroundings while he worked, he found his attention wandering to the woman slumbering on the bed, and all the thoughts he had of her started again, in addition to the thought of how innocent and helpless she looked at the moment.

What the hell was he thinking? This was so unlike him. He was more likely to go to a whorehouse for female entertainment where he could pay for what he wanted and get out without any attachment and didn't have to answer for anything. Yet here he was, obsessing over a girl who was way too innocent by far, especially for the likes of him. What if he were to push the intimacy? Where would it go, anyway? How comfortable would it be working for her father then? Of course, he didn't know how long he was on loan from Shinra anyway. Would he be able to work around her? Would she be too needy then?

There were just too many questions. And yet, there was something about her, and he knew he would have to fight to keep it on the back burner, or better yet, off the stove entirely, if he could help it.


	3. Tension and Release

Tension and Release

Bryn woke the next morning, feeling not a bit better. She was embarrassed about needing help the night before, that Reno and Rude had witnessed her breakdown, but profoundly relieved that neither of them knew even remotely what it was really about. She decided that the best thing to do was act as if it hadn't happened, and just go about her daily routine as best she could, and get through her feelings day by day. Saturday came and she decided to go to the Tavern again. She arranged to meet friends this time, in hopes they would provide a much needed distraction and a break from her imprisoned life. They met her at the Tavern, and they had a great time, although she found she could hardly eat a thing. She picked a bit, but that was as much as she could manage. Although she had desperately needed the distraction, she found her attention constantly drifting. She couldn't keep her mind off the man watching her, and it was everything she could do to keep her eyes from wandering to find him. Reno was leaning with his back against the bar, which gave him an all inclusive view of Bryn and the entire room. Rude had stationed himself at the door, opposite Reno. They were doing their job, all business.

It reached a point where Bryn couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't concentrate, she couldn't sit still, and she was starting to feel slightly claustrophobic, even though the room was large and spacious. She decided to call it a day, and excused herself from the group, begging a headache. She stood up to leave and Reno fell into step as they headed for the door. Rude turned to lead them out, but then quickly backed them into the room.

"Out the back," he said, voice loud and clear. "Everyone out!" Reno was already leading Bryn towards the back door, gripping her by the wrist. He had drawn what looked like a retractable club out of his jacket, and held it confidently in his other hand.

"What are we dealing with, Partner?"

"Bomb." The single word answer set everyone in the Tavern into a panic, as they all finally realized this was not a joke. Reno led Bryn out ahead of everyone, forcing her into a run down the back alley. Bryn lost track of everything except his hand on her arm and the panic in her chest. There was an ear splitting crack of sound behind them, and she found herself shoved down and against a wall, Reno using his body to shield hers. The noise was deafening, and Bryn wasn't sure, but she thought she screamed into that sound. She couldn't see anything past Reno, but she didn't want to. She held her hands to her ears during the blast, and then slowly let them drop. She became aware of Reno above her, his body protecting her, his head turned to see what was going on. He was breathing a bit quicker than normal, and Bryn was irresistibly drawn to the rise and fall of his chest. She reached up, pushing against the soft fabric of his shirt till her fingers contacted skin through it, and she firmly laid her hand against his ribs, feeling the rapid rise and fall of his chest and the rapid heartbeat within.

Reno waited for the ringing in his ears to stop. Damn, that had been one hell of a blast. Someone really knew what they were doing. He could appreciate that, but he had other things to worry about now. Rude would have to take care of whoever was responsible. Bryn's safety was his priority. Speaking of Bryn…

"Reno…"

He turned to her, curled up under him, her head tucked against his chest, her voice soft in the aftermath of the explosion, almost broken, and he wondered if she had been injured.

"Are you…" Reno started.

"Reno…" She said his name, a bit stronger this time, with a break of a different kind. She turned her face up to his, and what he saw there wasn't even close to pain, or at least not pain from any injury. Her expression was raw with need, her eyes full of pleading and a fear of rejection. He swallowed hard, wondering if he had the will power to pull away from her, and then he became aware of her hand. How had he missed that heat pressing against his ribs? He looked down at her hand and watched as her fingers flexed, adjusting, and then returned to cling to him through his shirt. He looked up at her, his bright green eyes meeting her slightly darker ones.

"Bryn," he breathed just before their lips met. There was nothing soft or tentative about it this time. It was raw and desperate, lips clinging, tongues dueling, both of them starving for more of the other.

Reno pulled Bryn to her feet, never releasing her mouth, and groaned in satisfaction when she pulled him closer, her hands stroking wherever they fell, his face, neck, chest, gripping his ribs, sliding around to his back and finally under his un-tucked shirt to find the skin of his belly, so soft, and yet tight with muscle. He broke the kiss long enough to look around and pull Bryn into the doorway of a nearby building. Kicking his way into a room within, making sure they were alone before kicking the door closed behind them, then crashing her body against the wall and raising her up against the wood to access her mouth while he molded her entire body to his. He took advantage of their position, letting his hands do the exploring this time, wrapping his fingers around her hips, feeling the hollow of the hip bone with his thumbs before letting his hands slide up to her waist and then to her breasts, his thumbs skimming over the cloth covered nipples, his mouth catching the soft whimper that she made at the electric contact. Finally he framed her face, tilting her head slightly for fuller access to her mouth as he let her slide to the floor. He backed away slightly, trying to breath, trying to get some perspective. This entire time he had expected at any moment that she was going to change her mind, realize what was happening, that the resistant part of her would emerge and push him away. It hadn't happened, but he wanted to make sure they were both on the same page. He looked into her flushed face, and there was still what he thought was a fear of rejection. Was she worrying that he would push her away? The thought almost made him laugh. He wasn't going to walk away from this, not in the heat he was in. Afterwards, he would deal with after. But right now, the only thing that would stop him would be her rejection.

"Are you sure about this?"

She reached for him, but he pulled back till only his arm kept her pinned to the wall. He could reach her, but her arms were too short for the distance.

"Bryn!" He said it loudly and sharply, and waited for her eyes to clear. Yes, now she was listening. "I want you to be sure about this."

She tilted her head slightly as if thinking over the question, and in one quick movement pulled her body out from under his restraining arm, entangled her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, and pulled him back into her. She started working the buttons of his shirt open. Reno's eyes closed as he tried to think through this (god, was he doing too much thinking). He rested his forehead against hers as she worked the buttons, he took her hands in his, stilling their progress.

"This isn't going to be slow." He breathed.

Bryn finally spoke.

"Reno." Just his name and the desperation in it, the need in it, nearly sent him over the edge.

"This isn't going to be gentle, either." He warned. It was the last thing he was going to say, and then there would be no turning back.

"Reno…please…" and that's all it took.

He pushed her hands away, pinning them back to the wall. He bunched his fingers into the long skirt she was wearing, and worked the fabric till it circled her waist, then used a small knife that he had pulled from his belt to cut the underwear from her body. Bryn went very still when the knife appeared, and her hands fell to her sides, as if she were readying to defend herself, but she remained as she was otherwise. His hands on her bared hips, he leaned in and kissed her then.

"Unbuckle me."

Bryn didn't need any other instructions, making small work of the belt buckle, the button and the zipper. She had hardly pushed them down when he lifted her up against the wall. She naturally brought her legs up to wrap them around his waist; he lined himself up, and let her sink down onto him as he thrust into her.

Bryn cried out at the impact. He filled her and then some, and the position they were in made the contact that much sharper. Reno growled low in his throat, latched his mouth to hers and began a driving rhythm that she had no choice but to follow. It didn't matter, though; it was what her body wanted, what her body was craving, and every thrust made her crave more as it brought her closer to the edge. Her entire body felt as if it were going to burst into flame.

Reno bit his lip, relishing the feel of her, how soft she was, how tight she was, how he was driving into her with brutal force but her body accepted him, and then accepted even more of him. She had been dripping wet with her need for him; no one had ever wanted him that badly, and it was causing him to burn from the inside out. He devoured her, his mouth moving from her mouth to her chin, down her throat, nipping here and there, licking away the sharp sting of it, and then back to her mouth as her breathing changed and she tried to throw her head back. He wouldn't let her; he ravaged her mouth as he drove into her that much harder, and caught her scream as her orgasm swept through her…and him. Her muscles clenched, tightened impossibly around him until he could take no more, and in a final thrust released his own deep groan into her as he released his lust in a molten jet that scorched them both.

Everything froze for a moment, mouth to mouth, soft, sensual kisses in between trying to catch their breath, ripples of pleasure still racing through their bodies.

Reno collapsed to his knees, taking Bryn with him to sit on his legs. He was still deep inside her, still hard. One arm wrapped around her waist, the other hand holding her head, his face turned into the softness of her neck, he inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her and throbbed deep within her. She gasped at the sensation and let out a small cry when he throbbed again.

"Am I hurting you?" Reno whispered into her skin, moving to lift her away.

"No, don't move," she gasped. "Do it again."

He smiled against her skin. What made her think he had control over this? As he was thinking it, he throbbed again, and she tensed in his arms.

"Oh, god, Reno."

His name. He was amazed how much he liked it when she said his name.

Her breathing was coming in short rapid pants, and he moved so he could see her face. She tried to hide her face against his shoulder, but he wouldn't let her, holding her head in both hands, insisting she look him in the eye. He wanted to watch her.

"I'm here, Bryn. Tell me."

Throb. Her breathing deepened even more, rasping. She was frantic to get away from the eye contact. Throb. Reno watched as a flush rose in her face and she bit her lip. Throb. Her mouth opened with a whimper.

Reno smiled. She was so close.

"Say please."

She shook her head. So close, frantic with it.

"Say please, Bryn." This had been about her pleasure, and now he didn't know if he could wait. The heat wrapped around him, the tightness of her body, the way she needed him was almost too much.

She swallowed hard.

"Pl…please…Reno."

Throb. And he came, hard and hot, filling her, and sent her into her own shattering orgasm. He held her body tight as she went rigid and still against him. He watched her eyes, glazed over in her passion, slowly slip closed. He watched her mouth open, her throat hitching as if a gasp or scream were fighting its way out, but she was silent except for her breath catching. Inside, where he was buried so deep, the force of her orgasm rippled around him, making her first orgasm seem like a small tremor by comparison.

Reno was used to being able to walk away from women he had used. He didn't know if he'd be able to walk away from this one. How could her walk away from someone who wanted him like this?

"What happens now?" She spoke softly from where he had finally allowed her to collapse on his shoulder.

He ran his hands over her back in a long, slow stroke.

"We get you home safe."

He felt her nod.

"I don't think I can stand up."

They both laughed, and after a few minutes, Reno managed to help her stand up, before getting to his own feet. She was suddenly shy, turning away to organize her clothes. He gave her the space she needed, moving slightly away to adjust his own, hoping this would not be the beginning of regret on her part.


	4. Suspicions

_Ah yes, there's more to it than the sex! (Yes, I can occasionally push my mind beyond the carnal.) There is an actual story woven through it, though admittedly, it's a simple one: Boy and girl meet, there are complications, the day is saved (although I'm not telling who is going to save the day), and everybody lives happily ever after...maybe, maybe not. _

Suspicions

When they stepped back out on the street, Reno checking the area before allowing Bryn to step out, Rude was standing at the end of the alleyway as if he were waiting for a cab. He turned casually at their approach. He was not surprised to see them, Bryn realized, and then blushed to the roots of her hair when she realized further that he had known where they were the entire time. He escorted them to the car they had taken that day, official as ever, and by the time she climbed in the back seat, she had regained her composure as far as Rude was concerned, but was starting to shake all over, realizing how close someone had come to killing her.

Reno climbed in the back with her, although he had ridden in the front that morning. He opened the bar, which for Bryn had always been taboo, and shuffled bottles till he found what he wanted. He poured a drink into a small glass and held it out to her.

"Drink this."

Bryn shook her head.

"Drink it. You're going to need it. You're shaking like a leaf."

Even as she shook her head, she looked down at her hands and found she couldn't hold them still. She reached for the drink, but her hand was shaking so hard, it was hopeless. Reno put the drink in her hand and steadied her hand with his own, leaning into her from his seat to help her drink.

"Erck. That's vile."

"Maybe so, but you'll feel better." He urged the glass to her lips again. She grimaced, but drank, and when she had finished, she noticed her hands had calmed. Her mind was still whirling with what had happened. "My God," she thought. "Someone tried to kill, almost DID kill me." For the first time ever, she knew how serious a situation she was in. But even knowing that, her mind kept tracking back to the pleasure this man had given her. She looked at him. He was looking out the window, the fingers of one hand drumming on his leg, while the other had come to rest on her knee, and even that small touch sent a charge through her. Her body felt bruised, tender, yet still vibrated with pleasure. She wouldn't take back a second of it, had not an ounce of regret for what had happened. What she did regret was what may come, even though she knew the possibilities; she didn't want it to end here, but she didn't want to be too needy or to assume it was something it wasn't.

When they arrived back at the house, Reno exited the car first and gave her a hand out. Derrick was standing outside the door, apparently waiting for them. He approached with a venomous look on his face.

"The boss wants to see you," he said to Reno, taking Bryn by the arm and leading her ahead of them into the house. "Rude, you're with me."

Reno knocked on the office door and entered. Mr. Dunstan stood behind his desk gazing out a window.

"What the hell happened?"

Reno knew Rude would have called this in. "Didn't Rude already tell you, sir?"

"I want to hear it from you."

Reno told the morning's events, just as they happened, excluding the small part about what happened with Bryn. For a moment Bryn's father looked like he wasn't buying the story, then turned to look out the window and dismissed Reno with a wave of his hand. Just as Reno was going out the door, he called him back.

"Reno." Reno turned back, suppressing a sigh of impatience.

"Yes, sir."

"Where did you disappear to after the explosion?"

Reno hesitated. "Excuse me, sir. I don't know what…"

"After the blast, you disappeared with my daughter. Where did you go?"

Reno shrugged casually. "I moved her into a nearby building for safety."

Again, the frown of disbelief, then "That will be all."

Reno left casually enough, but he was hiding the tension well. He found Rude standing just inside Bryn's door. Bryn was on the bed, apparently asleep.

"Is she okay?"

"She took a shower when she came in and crashed. She's been sleeping for a few minutes now."

"We need to talk."

Rude's eyebrows rose questioningly above the dark sunglasses.

"Not here."

Rude nodded once, concern knitting his brow. Reno didn't show his serious side very often, but his tone was deadly serious now. Rude gestured with his thumb at the door, but Reno gave one quick shake of his head.

He took his cell phone out and flipped it open, pressed two buttons and pressed the phone to his ear. After a second he said, "Tseng. Bring Elena and meet me in conference room three at six tonight." He wanted to meet in a place where he knew Bryn's father would have no eyes or ears.

He looked over at the woman sleeping on the bed. How innocent she looked…"God what was I thinking," he thought, then smirked and thought "what the hell was I thinking holding back?" He was surprised at how she had handled the bombing; there was steel in there somewhere. She had guts and nerve and he had a feeling she was going to need them. He moved to the window seat, sitting so he could watch her as she slept. He was an observant person even when it didn't seem so; it was a requirement of his job. Now the smallest details became important, from the curve of her chin to the way the hair fell around her face to the turquoise earrings that matched her eyes perfectly that peeked out from the strands. Her neck was slender, the soft skin accented by a choker that matched her earrings.

As he watched her, she rolled to her back, her face turned toward him. He worried for the briefest second that his watching her might wake her, but her breathing remained deep and slow. Her shirt had shifted over her skin, exposing the soft yet firm belly beneath. He imagined resting his hand on the exposed skin and letting it raise and lower with the motion of her breathing. Then there was a slight tightening in her muscles, and he knew she was awake. Looking up, he met her gaze, her eyes and face softened by sleep. She remained absolutely still, with the exception of her eyes. He watched her study him without flinching or turning away. He had never allowed this type of intimacy, didn't let people in, but she had earned this somehow. Strangely enough, he didn't mind, and was thrilled that she didn't seem unnerved by him doing the same.

Bryn reached out a hand to him, and it was like a magnet pulling him to her. Reno found himself standing beside the bed before he could think. Her fingers entwined in hers and, as she started to pull him towards her, a warning bell inside his head went off, and he held back, pulling her instead into a sitting position.

"We have to go out."

She looked confused, but didn't argue.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Nah," he said casually, but Bryn didn't look convinced. She sensed a tension in him, an urgency to get wherever they were going.

"Do I have time to change?"

"Sure," he answered, waving his hand toward the bathroom door.

She didn't bother with the bathroom, but was quick, putting on a loose skirt and a tank top and grabbing a light jacket as she joined Reno at the door. He opened the door for her, and she practically walked into Derrick.

He did a quick once over of the two of them, then turned his full attention to Bryn.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

Reno wondered if he should interfere, if Bryn would think fast enough to cover even if she didn't know what was going on.

"If I remember correctly, you told my father that you and your security were having nothing to do with my safety any longer. If I remember correctly, the rules are that I have to have my bodyguards with me." She looked pointedly at Rude, then Reno. "And it seems to me that they've already proven that they can do a much better job of my safety than you or anybody on your team. So the way I figure it, it's none of your goddamn business."

With that, she pushed past him and was halfway down the hall before he had turned around, his forthcoming reaction completely cut off by Rude who still stood intimidating in the hall while Reno followed Bryn down the stairs. Neither breathed easy till they were out of the house and on the cycle. Reno drove, checking after a few minutes to make sure Rude had caught up with them. He also noted that they were being followed by a dark car, but didn't give it another thought. The car would never make it past Shinra security.

Twenty minutes later, they were all sitting down, on or around the appointed conference table, introductions having been made between Bryn, Elena and Tseung. Although Bryn knew that Reno could handle guard duty, the all-business, serious side of him was a surprise.

"We have a problem." Reno stated again. He looked to Bryn. "Does your father have anyone else working your security?"

Bryn shook her head. "Not that I know of. Why?"

"He knew about the bombing."

She shrugged. "Well, of course he did. Something that big would have gotten back to him."

"Not in the detail he had. He questioned me specifically on where we disappeared to after the bomb went off. He knew we exited to the alley, and he knew that I moved you to another location." Bryn flushed even though she was aware Reno had phrased it in a way that no one would suspect what had happened. She couldn't help but wonder…"A location that he did not have under surveillance," Reno added without missing a beat and answering her silent question. "But he did know enough to be suspicious. Elena, Tseung, I want you to find out what you can about the bombing. Do a bit of digging, get some background on Bryn's father and find out who his eyes and ears are."

"Do you really think that's necessary?" Bryn was shocked. "He's my father. What could he have to do with it?"

Reno shrugged. "Nothing far as I know, but I want to cover all the bases. He waited till Elena and Tseung were out the door and scrutinized her. "Do you feel safe in your house?"

Her eyebrow furrowed. "Shouldn't I?"

"Answer the question."

"Well, put that way, no. I haven't felt safe since I came home from school."

"Good. I don't think you are safe, and you should be aware that you're being watched."

She shook her head. "No. My father wouldn't go that far."

"Yes he would, and he did. And, don't forget, he knew about the bombing."

Bryn wanted to argue with him, but found she couldn't; she believed him. Somehow what he was saying had the ring of truth to it.

"Where are the cameras?" She asked.

He smirked. "I'm not telling you. I don't want you to behave suspiciously around them. But I will tell you to be careful what you say and do in the house."

"You make me not want to go home."

"That can be arranged."

She shook her head. "Let's wait and see what happens. You guys will still be with me, right?"

"24/7."

"Okay, then we'll wait. I'm sure my father is just trying to protect me."

Reno didn't know if he agreed with that, but he kept that to himself.


	5. Avoidance

_This is basically a transitionary chapter (is that real word?). There's a tiny peek into the characters and what they're thinking, and a huge opportunity for a bit of smut smiles. Yes, I know...I just did that a couple of chapters back, but Bryn has such little freedom that I have to take advantages of the moments when she's not under Daddy's thumb, and Reno just seems intent on taking her mind off of other things, and it is rated M for a reason. Besides, after all, what would you do if you were them? _

_Enjoy._

Avoidance

Reno called to the front gate before leaving, and found, sure enough, that the car that had followed them was still there waiting for them. He took Bryn out a back gate and chose a round-a-bout way home. He really didn't care that they had been followed, had even expected it. He had no plans but to take Bryn home, but he wasn't going to let their followers succeed. That was just a matter of pride.

After a few minutes on the road, Bryn leaned forward and spoke loudly so Reno would hear her over the hum of the engine.

"Can we not go home right away?"

Reno nodded and yelled back over his shoulder. "Anyplace in particular?"

He felt the shrug against his back as her shoulders lifted. "I don't really care, as long as I don't have to go back there right away."

Knowing that they couldn't be seen in the city, Reno headed off road on a trail that led into the old city. He stopped in front of a building that Bryn recognized.

"Do you know where we are?" He asked.

"This is where you brought me when we were running from those gunmen."

She didn't see the smile on his face. He was pleased. Her life had been in danger that day, and yet she had paid enough attention to recognize this place.

He pointed. "That's the spot." Bryn could see the opening in the wall where they had hid. "If things get strange and you have need of it again, go there, and I'll know where to find you."

He felt the muscles in her arms tighten.

"Why wouldn't you be there?" She flinched; even to her ears, that sounded too needy, too possessive.

He took her hand in his, a gesture totally unlike him. "I'm just saying. If it happens, come here, and I'll know where to find you."

Bryn rested her head against his back and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight.

"How did things get so messed up?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Don't know, but I'm going to find out, and when I know, you'll know." He drew her hand to his lips and turned it to kiss the palm of her hand and then the inside of her wrist, making her squirm against him as he rasped his tongue against the sensitive skin. He turned then, wrapping his arm around her and swung her around till she was sitting across his lap in front of him. Her laughter let him know that he had succeeded in breaking the pall of her thoughts. This was one of the things he was best at; lightening the mood, bringing a smile to a serious situation, relieving the tension. It was one of the reasons those who valued him put up with his sometimes childish antics. She was beautiful in that moment and he impulsively kissed her. She reached up to run her fingers through the short hair that framed his face, and then pulled him deeper into the kiss, holding his head so she could explore his mouth with her lips, teeth and tongue. She played with him, teasing, brushing her lips against his till she could sense his frustration, then letting her tongue slide against his as she deepened the kiss.

Reno let her have her fun, but knew it wouldn't last long. His body wouldn't let it. His hands were bunched in the fabric of her shirt, clinging as he tried to control himself. He finally lost his inner battle, pushing her away just long enough to kick the cycle up on its stand.

"What are you doing?" Bryn asked, breathless from kissing him, the lilt of laughter still in her voice.

"I want you." He swung her around so she was straddling the bike facing him and pushed her back against the cycle with one hand, while the other hand caressed a line from her knee to her thigh, pushing the skirt up with it.

"Here?" Bryn looked around at the dead city they were in.

"Right here. Right now."

"But Reno, we're outside on a motorcycle. I don't know…"

"There's no one around for miles, and I do. Off." There was a moment of awkwardness as he dispensed with the underwear that was in his way.

"Reno, I…"

His mouth crushed hers, cutting off her words, as he stood up, forcing her body back with his. He steadied her with one hand while releasing his throbbing erection with the other, then used both hands to push her legs back as he entered her. She may have been protesting with words, but her body was ready for him, hot and wet, yet so tight. He worked against that tightness which enveloped him until he could do nothing else but drive into her heated flesh.

Bryn had been hesitant, especially feeling exposed out in the open like they were, but the depth of Reno's need was overwhelming. There was no logic to it, just need, and the force of his thrust combined with the vibration from the motorcycle was almost too much for her, bordering on that thin line between ecstasy and pain. She let go of her inhibitions, though, and let her body decide. The ecstasy started building in the sensitive flesh that grasped at the male hardness invading her, and radiated out into her body, leaving her thrashing beneath him, not sure she could contain the pleasure. Reno held her, his hands gripping her hips as he thrust, his body pressing hers solidly back into the cycle, his face buried in that oh-so-soft spot where neck meets shoulder. He held her and he fucked her, in a deep, purposeful staccato rhythm, until he couldn't control the rhythm any longer, until he brought her screaming his name, until he exploded within her with a harsh guttural cry.

Her body was spent beneath him when he released her and drew himself from her flesh. He guided her legs to a more natural position, but she remained spread before him as he adjusted his clothing. He then placed a hand on each of her knees and massaged up her thighs in a slow deep stroke that sent a fine tremble through her. When his hands rested on her waist, he leaned over and kissed the skin just beneath her belly button.

"Bryn?"

She blinked and her mouth moved, but no sound came out. He leaned in again and kissed her bellybutton.

"Are you all right, Bryn?"

She licked her lips, but still didn't answer. This time he swirled his tongue into the sensitive dimple of her navel. Her stomach muscles jerked violently as she gasped.

"No more, Reno. It's too much." She struggled to sit up, and managed only with his help. "I don't need to worry about assassins. You're going to kill me with pleasure."

"Would it be a terrible way to go?"

She loved the wicked smile he had; it was as if he were thinking naughty thoughts that he knew you were aware of, but couldn't possibly know. It was odd thinking of him that way; she knew what he did for a living. Even though Shinra hadn't shown much interest in her little corner of the world, Turks still inspired fear when their name was mentioned. They were mercenaries, as she understood it; loyal to Shinra and up to any task he needed them for. She was sure that included killing when it was necessary. Did he smile like that before he killed someone?

Reno, for his part, was hiding behind that smile, hiding behind the mischievous, child-like quality that he used to catch people off their guard, make them underestimate them. He was hiding the fact that he was starting to care for Bryn. She was a job, for heaven's sake, and certainly had provided him with an abundance of pleasure, but there were other emotions creeping in that he wasn't sure what to do with. He was worried about her, concerned for her, desperate to keep her alive, keep her…close; and that was the scariest thought of all. She was becoming a part of his life. God, how he needed a drink.


	6. Crash

_A short chapter dealing with the aftermath of the last chapter (Bryn and Reno find out what happens when they break the rules), and with Reno's reaction to it. I haven't "lived" with this chapter as long as the first few, but the imagery was clear, and I didn't see a need to draw it out any further. I may take another look at it as I work on the next chapter though._

Crash

Derrick was standing in the driveway when they arrived back at the house

Derrick was standing in the driveway when they arrived back at the house. Bryn could tell something was up by the smug expression on his face.

He crossed his arms over his chest as they came to a stop. "I bet you think you're something else, evading the security we sent after you."

Reno shrugged casually. "That's what you call security? I'd be ashamed to admit it."

Derrick started at him. "You Shinra punk…"

"Derrick!" The voice froze Derrick where he stood. Bryn's father approached from the door.

"Whatever the quality, Turk, it's none of your concern anymore. You're services are no longer required. Please convey my appreciation to Mr. Shinra and let him know that we now have matters under control."

"You tell him yourself, Mr. Dunstan. I'm a Turk, not a messenger."

"Father…"

"In the house, Bryn. Now."

When she didn't move, Derrick reached out and pulled her from the cycle and half dragged, half carried her into the house. Bryn couldn't believe that her father was going to allow Derrick to treat her like that, but was even more shocked that Reno did nothing to stop him. He just sat there with his head turned away, not even watching. He could have at least acknowledged her humiliation. Just before Derrick managed to drag her through the door, Reno called after her.

"Don't forget, Bryn. Don't forget where you can find me if you need me." The door slammed shut.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Not a thing, Mr. Dunstan." He smiled that smile that irritated people, that smile he hid behind. The smile he sometimes had right before he killed someone.

Then he left.

Driving back to Shinra headquarters, he couldn't decide if he was more pissed or more relieved. Not having this assignment might be the answer to his current dilemma; he wouldn't have to worry about any feelings he had for Bryn. He had no reason to worry about it anymore; it wasn't his job, and given a few days and a couple of drinks (well, maybe more than a couple), he would be back to himself. Yeah, maybe this was for the better.

A week went by, but Reno was completely unaware of it. He had happily flooded his mind with the best whiskey he could get his hands on, drinking himself to oblivion, sleeping it off, then starting it all over again. It became a nasty cycle, the effects of which did not go unnoticed by his fellow Turks, especially Rude and Elena, who did their best to run interference with the president. Elena tried to talk to Rude about it, but he remained stoically silent except for to say "leave it be".

In the meantime, Elena thought it might be a good idea to at least finish the research that Reno had asked her to do, and as it progressed, she knew she was going to have to snap Reno out of his stupor sooner than later.

Finally, at the end of ten days of watching Reno slip further away, Elena couldn't wait any longer.

She burst into the apartments that Reno kept when he stayed at Shinra, and shoved past Rude as he tried to stop her before from entering the bedroom, pushing him down into the chair he had been sitting in and nearly tipping him backwards with the force of it.

She slammed into the bedroom and pulled the sheet off Reno, and when he still didn't stir, pulled him to the floor.

"What the fuck?" He sat up, wobbling as he tried to crawl back in the bed.

"Oh, no you don't." She pulled him back to the floor. "You have to get up and get sober." Rude watched the scene, unsure of whether to laugh or intervene. Elena was dragging Reno across the floor by his ankle towards the bathroom.

"Elena," he placed a hand on her arm to halt her actions. She shook him off and kept tugging at Reno's leg. "Elena," he repeated.

"No, Rude. We have to get him sober. Trust me, this is important."

Rude looked around the room as if looking for backup. Elena was tiny, but formidable. "Okay, fine. If you insist. Here, let me help you."

Together they got Reno off the floor and into a cold shower. Reno gave up the struggle half way through, and Elena left Rude to finish while she went to brew a pot of strong coffee.

The first sip of Elena's coffee almost choked Reno.

"God, Elena. If you want to kill me, I could loan you a gun. It would be less painful."

"If I wanted you dead, I could have just let you stay in that bed with your bottle, Reno. You know, most people find softer things to sleep with." She winced; that was more insensitive than she had meant. "I'm sorry Reno. I didn't mean…"

"Yeah, yeah. So what do I owe this wonderful sobering up to?"

"Tseung and I did the research you asked for."

"Research? What?"

"Into Bryn's father."

Reno slammed the cup down, nearly spitting coffee across the table.

"What's the point? We're done with that."

Elena pulled a PDA from her pocket and handed it to Reno. "Before you say that, you should read this."


	7. Lost and Found

_This was a tough one. I had a hard time getting away from the smartass Reno, even though I don't think that's all there is to him; I worried that by him getting too serious, I might lose his character a bit. I did, however, feel that this was a slightly older, wiser Reno than, say, in AC, so maybe a bit of seriousness is due. I don't consider him incapable of sincere, caring, or tender feelings. He's still a bit torn about his feelings, though; I figure Reno the type to often ask "what the hell was I thinking?" _

_Then again, this chapter, like the last, hasn't lived as long with me as the others. Maybe I'm just not comfortable with it yet._

Lost and Found

Knowing the layout to the house and property helped Reno and Rude devise a plan to get Bryn out

Knowing the layout to the house and property helped Reno and Rude devise a plan to get Bryn out. If Bryn were to survive the plot against her, there was no other option, and they were the people who were aware of the danger she was in.

Elena suggested that she call and pretend to be a friend, maybe set up a lunch date that would get Bryn out into the open. It was the most non-invasive idea they could come up with, and it was worth a try, but was shot down immediately when the call was picked up by security and they were told that Bryn was currently unavailable; no they couldn't tell anybody where she was or when she would be available.

Reno wanted to storm the castle; a simple full out assault on the house and be done with it, and if a few people got hurt in the mix, what the hell? As usual, Rude was the more level-headed of the two, and managed to convince Reno that his plan should be reserved as a last resort.

They considered a night-time maneuver; stealth entry under the cover of darkness, and a quick getaway. It would require a bit of manipulation, a cut in the power and security systems, and meticulous timing, but it seemed the best they were going to be able to do. None of them thought it would be as simple as simply walking up to the house and ringing the doorbell.

They were interrupted in the final preparations of their chosen plan when Tseung entered the room.

"You can stop planning; I have something to show you."

He set his PDA into a port and a three dimensional holographic image rose into the air.

"What the hell?"

"This report went out on a security alert not five minutes ago. It doesn't look like much now, but isn't that the Dunstan estate?"

It took Reno a second to identify it. After all, the house was gone; well nearly gone. It was a pile of black rubble and ash that was still smoking in a dozen places, and burning in a couple, despite the water being dumped on it.

"What the fuck?" Reno blurted out. He can't be that mad."

Elena shook her head at the image. "Maybe not mad, Reno, but definitely desperate. Do we know what caused it, Tseung?"

"Based on what I could gather in such short time, an explosion of some type."

"What are the chances that anyone survived?" Everyone knew the answer from the level of destruction, but Tseung knew that Elena was looking for bit of hope.

"The chopper is ready." It was all he had to say; Reno was out the door before Tsueng spoke the last word.

Reno piloted. No one thought it was a good idea, but no one was willing to say so, either. They relied on the fact that even in difficult situations, he managed to get everyone back on the ground alive. When they reached the site, he circled in the air before bringing the chopper down in a clear zone. Tseung stepped out and walked over to the officials while Rude and Elena prevented Reno from joining him, convinced that Tseung would be the better choice to find out what had happened. They weren't used to dealing with a Reno who had a vested interest in a mission; they were, however, used to dealing with a Reno who could be hot-headed and disagreeable.

Tseung returned a few minutes later with the news that the house had been practically deserted when the blast occurred."

"What about Bryn?" Tseung didn't need to answer Reno. They all new this was an assassination attempt, and who was ultimately responsible and they would have made sure Bryn was in the house. There might be a few more people unaccounted for, but they were sure the casualties had been kept to a minimum.

"They can't find her, but the security director was sure that she was in the house at the time of the blast."

"Well of course she was." Reno tried to push past Tseung, but Tseung wouldn't have it.

"They can't find her remains, either, Reno. They've been looking since they got the fire out. It is possible she got out; she certainly wouldn't hang around if she did."

"No. No, she wouldn't." Reno was thinking. Could she have gotten out? She was tough, he knew that, and she wasn't stupid. She had known she wasn't safe and was prepared for the fact that someone was trying to kill her. Could she have avoided something like this?

He didn't know, but he did know that if she got out, she was alone now. She needed him, and he knew where to find her.

He didn't bother returning to Shinra headquarters. He took the chopper into the old city and landed as close as he could to the dilapidated building that he used as a type of safe-house. He left the rest of the Turks with the chopper and moved quickly through the dead streets, his mind a mess of what if's. What if she didn't get out? What if she couldn't get here? What if she decided she didn't need him?

"God, where the hell did that come from?" He muttered to himself. When had he ever cared if a woman needed him? His life didn't leave time for relationships; well, it did, but who would understand him or his life well enough to tough it out?

He rounded the final corner and searched the area in front of the well-hidden entrance. No sign of her. Damn. He turned back, undecided about what to do, and had taken two steps before wheeling around again. What was he thinking? She wouldn't be sitting out in the open waiting; he had to check in the building.

His eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim interior, and the sound that left his chest was somewhere between relief and despair.

She was there. Bryn had somehow managed to get out of the house and get away without being noticed. She had even managed to find a cycle somewhere to get her into the old city. Beyond that, Reno couldn't tell if she was alive or dead. She lay against the wall, her body half covered by the cycle. It looked as if she managed to get herself into hiding and then collapsed. Her clothes were torn, her skin smudged, and she was covered in blood.

Reno lifted the cycle as gently as he could, pushing it to the other side of the tight space. His heart hammered in relief as he heard a groan as the major weight was lifted from her body. He turned back to kneel beside her, quickly checking her injuries. The blood had come from a variety of cuts, a bloody nose, and a nasty head wound that ran across her temple along the hairline. It had bled profusely, like most head wounds, but it was nothing a few stitches wouldn't fix. He felt for her pulse, and found it strong if slightly fast.

"Bryn." He gently tapped her cheek, and then turned her so he could see her face more clearly. Her eyes fluttered open briefly, but then slid shut again. He tried to revive her again, but she had slipped back into unconsciousness. "Damn," he muttered. He picked her up, trying to be as gentle as possible, and headed back to the chopper.


	8. Waking Up

_This chapter just kept flowing until I had more than enough for two chapters and had to find a place to separate them. That, of course means that the next chapter will be mostly, well...maybe I'll leave that till next time._

_I tried to get a little more of Sarcastic Reno in this one, but keep him real, as well. After all, doesn't every man have Pop Tarts in their cubbard?_

_Waking Up_

It was dark when she awoke

It was dark when she awoke. She thought she might still be in her hiding place, but as her eyes adjusted, she found there was a slight illumination. She tilted her head up slightly, searching, and found a clock that read two thirty, as well as a pillow that cushioned her head. Was she home? "No," she thought, "how could that be? There is no more home." Even as she thought it, she couldn't quite remember why that was so, and concentrating on it only made her head hurt.

Her eyes had adjusted a bit more, and she scanned what part of the room she could; no, definitely not her room, and it was taking her mind too long to figure things out. Why was everything happening so slowly? Bryn squelched the panic and moved slowly in an attempt to straighten herself from the fetal ball she had managed to curl up in.

A weight tightened around her waist, pulling her back, and then relaxed. She held her breath and froze, waiting for another squeeze. When it didn't come, she looked down to see the arm that encircled her. Should she try to move it? Surely that would wake him? No, better to…She noticed the dark strands of hair hanging over that arm, and reached for it instead, pulling it close so she could see, and in the pale illumination of that tiny clock, she saw that the strands were not black, as they had first appeared; they were a deep, rich, vibrant red. Holding the hair tightly in her fist, she was able to relax, and drifted back into sleep.

When she awoke next, there was a soft light coming into the room, filtering through a set of curtains that hung on the wall. Bryn looked around, and found she was alone in the room, but she could hear the sound of water running. Would it be rude for her to investigate? Maybe, she decided; maybe better to wait.

It didn't take long. The water stopped running after only a few minutes, and there were some shuffling sounds from an adjacent room. Bryn turned as Reno walked in, a towel secured around his waist.

"You're awake." He smiled warmly at her.

"And you don't sing in the shower."

His grin turned bashful. "No. I don't sing in the shower, or anywhere else for that matter." He flopped into a chair next to the bed and propped his feet up.

"Is that a blush I see?"

"Blush? Me? I don't do that either." He shook his head, trying for a serious expression and failing miserably as the blush darkened and spread.

This was a soft side to him that she was sure not many people got to witness, and she cherished the moment.

"Where are we?"

He looked around the room as if he had to verify it first.

"My place."

She took a second look. "There's not much to it, Reno."

He shrugged. "Don't need much; just a safe place to crash now and then, a place that's mine, outside of Shinra."

"And you brought me here."

"It was either here or a Shinra safe house."

"Here is better?" She thought so, but hoped she wasn't imposing.

He stood and caressed her cheek. "Yes. Here is better." He pointed at the door he had come through. "Shower is that way. I left plenty of hot water for you." He moved across the room and opened a door that revealed a closet and dropped his towel. Bryn couldn't help but look, noting the scars and tattoos that criss-crossed his body. She went into the bathroom hoping someday she would get the chance to trace those scars and tattoos, and that maybe Reno would even tell her a story or two.

She found him sitting at a small table in the kitchen nook. The apartment wasn't that big; only the one bedroom and bathroom, a small living room, and the tiny kitchen. Reno was sitting back in the chair with one long leg stretched out in front of him and the other curled up with is foot hooked on the rung of the chair. His arms were crossed over his chest and he looked like he was deep in thought. There was a cup of tea and a box of cinnamon sugar Pop Tarts on the table in front of the other chair, and Bryn took the cue to sit there.

"What happens now?"

"Breakfast. You must be starving."

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Yeah, I know, but are you ready for the truth?"

"Maybe not right now. I can't remember everything from that night, but I must have taken quite a beating."

She had been stiff getting up, every joint and muscle aching, and when she got to the bathroom mirror, she found her face badly bruised and a row of stitches along her hairline.

"Who stitched me up?"

"I'm a man of many talents."

"Well, thank you, man of many talents. Do you think it will scar?" Oh, how vain that sounded to her ears after the words were out.

"It won't matter if it does." He came around the table, leaned over and kissing her mouth, softly, without any demand. "When you're feeling stronger, when you're ready, let me know. For now, don't leave the apartment. I can't risk anyone seeing you. Stay here and get some rest." He handed her a cell phone. "Call the number if you need me."

Reno left the apartment, his chest feeling like someone had lifted a huge weight from him. He didn't know how he was going to tell her the truth about the conspiracy against her, and he was grateful that he would have more time to figure it out. In the meantime, it wasn't safe for him to stay with her. She needed to get her strength back, and he wasn't going to be able to leave her alone. She had come into the kitchen wearing one of his shirts with the sleeves rolled up and the tails hanging down to mid-thigh. No, he wouldn't have been able to leave her alone.

Rude was waiting for him at the gate of Shinra headquarters.

"What's up, partner?"

"Dunstan's security chief is here. He's insisting on talking to you."

"You're kidding." Rude simply shook his head once.

Approaching the building, Reno looked casual enough, but he was preparing himself. He went through a mental checklist of the weapons he was carrying and made sure the major ones were easily accessible, especially the electro-mag rod and the gun holstered at his back. Derrick met him at the door.

"Where is she?"

Reno's expression was the picture of shocked innocence.

"Who would that be, security chief?" He made sure that last word held all the sarcasm he could muster.

"You know damn well who, punk. Where is she?"

Reno looked around, apparently searching for something. "Strange thing, chief, but I don't see her old man hanging around. What's up with that?"

"You fucking bastard…" Rude caught him by the throat before his outreaching hands even came close to Reno. Derrick had made a huge mistake in taking his eyes off the taller man. The air gushed out of him as Rude used the momentum of his own attack to slam him back against the wall. He slid down, but then pushed himself up, striking out with a knife that had been concealed in a wrist sheath. The shock hit him just as he made contact. Like a spark igniting in every pore of his body, the sting from the electro-mag rod sent him to his knees and sliding down till he was twitching on the ground, the knife thrown out of reach. Reno rolled him with his foot, and stood over him with his boot grinding into his throat.

"Do yourself a favor, chief. Don't be seen around here again, and don't be caught asking around about Bryn. It might prove hazardous to your health."

Shinra security arrived just in time to haul Derrick across the parking lot to his car. Pushing his body into the car, they drove the car through the gate and left it sitting there till Derrick would be able to drive it home.

"Damn." Reno was looking down at his side where blood was seeping into the white of his shirt in a dark stain around the slash in the fabric. "He cut me. There goes another damn dress shirt."


	9. Promises

_This one should have been easy, but it took three rewrites, and I'm still not sure if I'm happy with it. Again, I left happy-go-lucky Reno behind, intentionally, and dove into the depths of seriousness, but after reading it (all three drafts of it), I'm not sure I accomplished what I wanted. I'm going to let it go for now, in the hopes that I either achieved my goal or that the importance of this chapter will become more evident in the sequence of the entire story. _

_That said, there were some things about this chapter that I really did like, goal achieved or not, and for once, my brain was going for something beyond plain, simple old smut!_

Promises

Bryn was bored

Bryn was bored. She didn't have a whole lot of energy, but there was nothing to do in the small apartment. Reno hadn't been kidding when he said he didn't need much. What did he do in his spare time anyway? She couldn't figure it out. Maybe he was serious when he said he just crashed here.

She figured she might exercise, but her body sent an immediate signal that that might not be the best idea, but she managed to stretch in the hopes that would ease some of the stiffness. Afterwards, she found paper and a pen by a phone in the kitchen and decided to write out some of the confused images in her mind; maybe it would help piece things together. She worked at it for a bit, until her eyes started to close and heading back to bed turned out to be the best plan for the day.

Reno came home to a dark, silent apartment. Taking off his jacket as he walked through, he quietly made his way to the bathroom, checking on a sleep-tousled Bryn as he walked through. He showered after disposing of the shirt, and re-bandaged the nick in his side. It turned out to be rather superficial; security chief couldn't even wield a knife well.

He climbed into the bed next to Bryn and carefully took her into his arms, spooning her body with his. She moaned and nestled back against him, but didn't wake, and Reno fell asleep with his cheek pressed to the delicate skin of her neck.

He was beautiful. With or without the scars. His body was long and lean, and the baggy clothes he tended towards hid the lean muscles that ran the length of his body.

He was lying on his stomach, one arm trapped beneath him, the other curled under his pillow. Bryn moved closer; she didn't want to wake him, so she didn't dare touch, but she couldn't help but inspect every scar and tattoo on his back. There were a couple of smaller scars on his legs, along with what she thought might be burn marks; she thought a mark on his lower back might be from a bullet and another along his ribs looked like a knife wound. The tattoo on his shoulder was…

She looked up to find sleepy green eyes peering back at her, and she froze. Would he mind her looking at him as he slept, taking the opportunity to find the small nuances of his body that she hadn't had the chance to find before this? Would he be insulted? Would he think it silly?

Their gazes locked, but Reno remained as he was. Bryn looked like she had been caught doing something terribly wrong, and he didn't want to startle her. He had woken while she was looking at the old gunshot wound on his lower back, and watched as she inspected it and the knife wound, and then the tattoo. He had never had anyone look at him this way, in such minute detail, but it excited him that Bryn wanted to see. She looked as if she were trying to memorize every detail, and the expression on her face was somewhere between awe and tenderness, as if she couldn't believe he had suffered and would have taken that suffering away if she could.

Bryn reached out a hand tentatively, and took Reno's silent stillness as permission to continue. She traced each mark reverently, and her touch was like a brand, liquid fire flowing along his skin and seeping to the core of him.

Reno rolled to his back as Bryn finished tracing the tattoo, and she continued to explore him with eyes and fingers. There was a scar near his belly button that stretched upwards over the solid flatness of his stomach. It had healed till there was nothing left but a thin white line. Her eyes slid closed at the hard clench of ab muscles as her fingers played over that line. Reno sucked in his breath, but said nothing and did nothing to stop her. Off to the side was what looked like another bullet scar, and, realizing where it was, Bryn wondered if the same bullet had caused this as well as the wound on his back. It seemed to line up perfectly. Lower down on his belly was another long, thin white line across his skin, and beyond that was the clear evidence of his arousal. Even after what they had shared, her skin flushed at the sight. Finally her attention was drawn to the fresh bandage.

"This one is new." She placed her hand over it.

"Yes." She could barely hear the hoarsely whispered word.

"Will it leave a scar?"

"Probably not. It's small; didn't even need stitches. My shirt got it worse than I did."

"How did it happen?"

Reno told her. Bryn leaned in and kissed the bandage, then spread small kisses all around it before looking up into those green eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He reached for her and pulled her into him for a kiss, and was surprised when she wouldn't let him roll her beneath him. Maintaining the kiss, she rolled up till she was straddling him, pushing and holding his hands away from her body. With lips and tongue, she began to work her way down his body, starting with a wet slide down the tenderest part of his long, slender neck. By the time she delved her tongue into his belly button as he had done to her, his hands were clenched hard into the sheets at his sides, and her body was moving with the rhythmic rise and fall of his. At the searing invasion of her tongue, he cried out.

"God, Bryn! Please."

She smiled against his skin. Ironic, how much he liked her to beg, but now the tables had turned, and although begging hadn't been her goal, his want, his need was such sweet music in her ears.

How much more of this he could take, Reno wasn't sure, but he was determined to find out. Sex had always been about immediate relief and gratification; it had been greedy on his part, and often paid for. He had no need to be greedy now. This woman gave willingly, purposefully, intent on his pleasure, and asking nothing in return. Of course, he wanted nothing more than to give in return, and, for once, found that her complete lack of demand heightened this feeling all the more.

He met his limit when she dragged the curtain of her hair over his heated erection, which caused him to quiver violently. Entangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her up as he rolled her beneath him. He kissed her desperately, and when he was left gasping for breath, he rested his forehead against hers, composing himself and trying to gain a bit of control over his overheated body.

He sat up abruptly and went to kneel at her feet, wrapping his hands around her ankles.

Her skin heated and colored. "I don't have any scars or tattoos. There's nothing to see."

"I wouldn't say that."

He slid his hands up from her ankles, mapping her with his fingers, feeling the slight changes in her skin; the firmness of her calf, the softness behind her knees, and yes, she liked the caress to that tender spot. He moved up, trapping her between his knees; but if she felt trapped, she gave no sign. He curved his hands around her hips, his thumbs pressing into the indents of flesh at her hip bones, and then skimmed slowly up her waist to play over each rib. When he reached the soft mound of her breasts, he rubbed first one cheek and then the other against her before licking a circle around and taking one delicate crest into the warmth of his mouth, and then moving to the other.

This was an exquisite torture Bryn had never imagined. As if his hands and mouth were not enough, his hair brushed tantalizingly against her, and she understood the sensations he must have felt when she did this to him. Though her movement was limited, she did the one thing she could; she reached behind him and pulled the band from his hair that held the longest strands back. Reno raised his head, enough for her to see the smug grin that played along his lips, and flicked his head just enough to send the longer hair cascading over her skin, now fully aware of the effect it would have and enjoying her reaction to his reciprocation thoroughly. He kissed down the center of her body, and coming to the line of trimmed hair on her lower belly, replaced his lips with his hand, a sure pressure sliding down her lower belly until it slipped between her legs. He watched her face as he feathered his fingers across her heated flesh; watched her head tilt back, her eyes slide shut, and her perfect teeth biting into her bottom lip.

Why hadn't he done this before? Taken the time to really enjoy her body? In their moments of heated lust, Reno knew he would want more, but why hadn't he taken the time to find out what he really wanted? Or what she really wanted? Her body had told him before how much it wanted him; maybe that had been enough. Feelings had always been too complicated. This, however, went beyond physical lust. This woman had given him so much more; her need, her trust, her body, her caring. Knowing who he was and what he did, she still accepted him.

This was no rush of passion, no race for mutual gratification. He took his time, and when at long last he entered her, he was slow and deliberate, and set a pace that was excruciating and satisfying at the same time. Reno moved over her, in her, listening to her, feeling her reactions, gauging what she liked most, then using it to bring her pleasure with every breath; he breathed that pleasure in like the gift it was, and somewhere within the sensual slide of heated flesh, breathless sighs, soft pleas, and whispered names, he became aware that he was returning that gift, that she was enjoying his pleasure as much as he was hers.

Much later, tucked against Reno's side, Bryn rested her head on his shoulder, and held him to her body with one leg hooked over his. Reno lay on his back, holding her close with one arm wrapped around her shoulders while he watched her hand swirl patterns across his chest and stomach.

"Reno?"

"Hmn?"

She turned her head that little bit so she could see his profile.

"Thank you."

He returned her gaze. "For what?"

"For being there." She sounded very girly to her own ears, but she didn't care; she needed him to know how grateful she was. "You didn't need to be there for me, but when I needed you, you were there. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Bryn."

They both went back to watching her hand swirl invisible patterns on his skin. He waited until that hand stilled, her breathing slowed, and her head became heavy before he spoke again, whispering into the dark a promise he had made only once before in his life, a promise he considered sacred.

"As long as you want me there, Bryn, I'll be there when you need me."


	10. Truth

_I believe this was the fourth version of this chapter. Bryn had to find out the truth, I just couldn't figure the best way; and I was NOT going to make Reno be the one to tell her. I tried for a balance in Reno (my, how that sound strange); little bits of humor, seriousness, carelessness, and caring thrown in. I hope it worked. Enjoy._

_FM_

Truth

Bryn was going to have to face the truth

Bryn was going to have to face the truth. Reno knew that, and he knew it wasn't going to be an easy truth for her to take. What he hadn't anticipated was that she would do it so soon, and that she would tell him about it in a note.

It was centered at the foot of the bed, folded with his name in a neat script on the front. A day at the office with nothing much to do and no excitement had left him edgy and restless. Finding the apartment empty sent a bolt of panic through him, and although finding the note was somewhat of a relief, he unfolded it with a feeling of dread.

"Reno, I've made up my mind to confront my father, let him know that I can't live like this, his prisoner even though he still can't protect me. I can't hide forever. I know you and I were going to talk about this, but I have to do it while I have the nerve to stand up to him, and I didn't want to bother you at work. Hopefully I can get through to him. Wish me luck and don't be mad that I couldn't wait. I will call when it's settled. Yours, Bryn."

By the time he finished the short note he had already slammed the door of the apartment behind him and was racing up to the rooftop parking. He got his cell out and punched Tseng's number and waited impatiently.

"Tseng."

"It's Reno. I'm on my way to Dunstan's penthouse. Get Elena and Rude and meet me there."

"Why there?"

"Fuck, Tseng!" Reno interrupted him. "I don't have time for why's. Just be there."

He made record time to the office building where Dunstan's penthouse was located, where a fight had already begun. Reno spotted the Shinra limousine right away, not because it stood out so much as it was on the receiving end of a hail of bullets. He could see Elena and Tseng taking refuge behind the car. Rude was nowhere to be found.

Reno's arrival didn't go unnoticed. He put the cycle into a slide and ditched it to take refuge behind another car as the gunfire turned in his direction. He checked under the car first, gauging the location of the nearest shooters, and then dodged behind another car, moving into line of sight with Elena and Tseng. The electro-mag rod had appeared in his right hand, his reflexes having taken over its retrieval, and he now pulled the gun from the holster that hid it beneath the back of his jacket. It may not have been his first choice of weapons, but he certainly was not averse to using it.

He nodded at Elena and Tseng, and when they provided the necessary cover, he moved up a couple of rows closer to the building, and then covered their movement while they moved. It was moments like this that he appreciated how easily and naturally the Turks worked together when they needed to. They all knew their job and knew how to get it done, even when there was limited communication.

The next time he moved, Reno came face to face with two guards that had been doing some moving and shaking of their own. Reno rolled, catching the first one in the throat with the electro-mag rod and then turned in his crouched position to catch the other across his gut. Two bullets and he didn't have to worry about either again, but Reno was starting to lose patience.

"Come on Rude. Where the fuck are you?"

He muttered it under his breath, pushing down the desire to scream it across the parking lot. He knew his partner was out there somewhere, and when he finally made his presence known, it would be with a bang.

Reno wasn't disappointed. He could feel the heat of the blast, and hit the ground as debris flew around and over the car he was crouched behind. He waited a breath, then two, and took the chance to glance around the car to see what kind of damage his partner had caused.

Rude was standing off to the side of the building, arms crossed over his chest, glasses pulled down to the end of his nose, with a smug look on his face.

"Why do you guys always have to do things the hard way?" He called out.

They all stood up from where they had taken cover. Tseng, dusting off his jacket, looked up in disgust.

"Why is it you always have to decimate everything in sight?"

Rude snorted and pushed his glasses up to hide his eyes.

"Awe, how sweet. Check it Elena. They're flirting with one another." Picking on Tseng made Reno feel better in the worst situation, and he knew Rude could take the ribbing.

Tseng turned on him, eyes narrowed. "This is your fault Reno. None of this would have been necessary if you had kept your emotions out of your work."

Reno shrugged it off as he replaced his gun in its holster and slung the electro-mag rod onto his shoulder. Before he turned away, though, he caught the expression on Elena's face as Tseng said those words, and wondered if, one day, Elena would break through her partner's icy exterior.

The lobby was empty and ominously quiet as they passed through on the way to the elevator, which they found empty when the doors hissed open. It seemed that Dunstan had placed all his security outside the building, probably assuming no one would ever get past them. They rode the elevator in silence, but were ready and hyper-aware when the doors slid open; they knew what a position they were in if security was waiting for them, but Reno had refused to take the time to climb the stairs. They're concerns were unfounded though. The hall leading to the penthouse was empty, and the door of the penthouse stood slightly ajar.

"Now that's not a good sign, is it?" Reno muttered. He moved ahead of the others, preparing himself mentally for whatever he would find. Back to the wall, he crouched down and used one arm to slowly swing the door open, looking back to Rude, who was slightly behind, to confirm the room clear as far as he could see. Tseng did the same from the other side of the call. From their point of view, Reno figured he had about forty-five degrees accounted for. He quickly ducked his head in and out of the room, clearing another large section, and then swung around, gun extended, to clear the other side. Although dark, the room looked empty. He stood and entered cautiously, leaving the lights off. It made it harder for him to see, but also harder for any enemy to see him. He let his eyes adjust and moved forward, and sensed Rude, Tseng, and Elena spanning out behind him.

There was an ominous click in the dark somewhere off to Reno's left, and he spun into a crouch to find Tseng's silhouette, hands held out to the side in a stance of surrender. His voice, low and careful, drifted across the room.

"Reno. Over here." Tseng was lowering himself to a crouch, blending into the shadows that hid whatever he was looking at. "It's okay, Bryn. You remember me, don't you? I work with Reno. He's here, with me." Reno heard the sob as he came up behind Tseng. It was a soft, wet, desperate sound, and he knew it was Bryn, and his heart wrenched at the brokenness of it.

"Bryn." He could see her now, in the shadows on the floor, and he could see the gun extended in her hands. It had been pointed at Tseng, but had slipped down in her limp hand. Reno holstered his own gun and took the gun from her with one hand while steadying her hand with the other. He passed the gun behind him to Tseng as he took Bryn into his arms. She slumped against him, her body feeling as broken as her sobs.

He leaned over her, holding as much of her as possible, hands searching for anything that might be wrong.

"Are you hurt, Bryn?" She didn't respond, but Reno had the feeling that the state she was in had nothing to do with physical injury. So he waited; waited it out till she was quiet and limp in his arms before he asked her again. He was relieved when he felt the shake of her head, but he cringed when he heard her voice.

"It was him all along. How stupid was that? How stupid that I didn't see it, didn't suspect it. How stupid that he didn't just ask." Her breath hitched here and there, but she was determined to get it out. "Money. That's what it was all about. The trust my mother left for me. His business was falling apart and he needed money, and this…this is what he planned." Her voice cracked on the last and the sobs started again. "I came here to make peace and I ended up…I ended up killing him."

Reno scanned the shadows, searching for the proof of her words. There was a vague lump a few feet away and pride spiked in Reno's heart. She was torn up about it now, but she had done what needed to be done. "It's going to be all right, Bryn."

Bryn went on with her explanation without hearing him.

"I think he lost his mind. I came through the door and he started ranting, yelling about my mother and how selfish she had been, standing in his way, how he thought it was over when she died, but then I was the one standing in his way. And then he tried to…to…"

"He's been the one trying to kill you all along, Bryn. He knew that if he killed you, the money would be his."

She shoved violently against him, freeing herself, her voice rising in hysteria as she rose shakily to her feet.

"He was my father, Reno. Why didn't he just ASK? I would have given it to him."

"I don't…"

They had let their guard down, and Reno mentally kicked himself in the split second it took the shadow to rise up from behind Bryn and pull her further back into the gloom. He drew his gun again, but kept it at his side.

"Fucking Turk." Reno recognized the voice right away. "This is your fault, you know. If you hadn't done your job so well, the little princess here would have been dead that first day in the city. But no…you took the assignment seriously and fucked everything up. Including HER." He added with a snarl as the hand he had wrapped in her hair jerked her body back into his.

A light flared on overhead.

"Bitch." He screamed the word at Elena, who had her gun drawn and aimed. Reno waived her back as he saw the blood trickling down from Bryn's neck where the knife Derrick held there had slipped.

Derrick leaned over to whisper in Bryn's ear. "You know, Sweetheart, that little cherry was supposed to be mine. I was supposed to get the privilege of fucking you up before I killed you."

A tiny spark went off in Bryn's mind, and anger flooded in and temporarily pushed the fear back. She bucked her body back against him, and managed to get space, but couldn't get away from the hold he had in her hair.

"Bastard. I would have killed you before I let you touch me." A hysterical giggle escaped. "Besides, you would have been so disappointed. I gave up that little prize long before I came home."

He punished her outburst by using his hold to drag her to her knees in front of him, causing a gasp of pain as her head was twisted back and to the side. He cut a bit deeper into her throat. "Like mother, like daughter, I see. You know, she couldn't keep her legs closed, either, from what I heard. And, like you," he enunciated every word, "she fought to the bitter end."

Bryn froze in his grip.

"That's right, Princess. You weren't the first person your father had to take care of. He married her for her fortune, after all, and then she made sure that he couldn't touch the money. It was all so easy to make it look like an accident. But another accident? That would have been suspicious. But to make it look like his enemies were trying to get to him by taking you out? That was easy."

His eyes met Reno's. "You know that I'm not going to let you have her."

It wasn't a question, and Reno knew by the heat in the man's eyes that he was past reasoning with. He had seen that look more times than he could count on various missions, the desperate, mad expression that filled a man's eyes when he knew there was only one option left.

Reno's eyes narrowed into tight focus on Derrick.

"Do you trust me Bryn?"

She couldn't move her head, but she glanced at him, recognizing the dangerous tone in his voice.

"Yes." She whispered, trying not to move against the knife. "I trust you."

"Then close your eyes and don't move." His voice had softened, holding all the charm and seduction she knew him capable of, and she did as he said without hesitation.

Their was an abrupt, muffled sound, which to Bryn sounded like "thwump" and a second later, Derrick's weight dragged her to the ground, even as his arms went limp around her. She cried out, but remained as she was, eyes shut tight, until a hand closed around her upper arm and lifted her up and free from the weight. She turned, opening her eyes, to find Derrick motionless on the floor, blood oozing into his hair at the back of his head. The breath went out of her in a whoosh, and she couldn't seem to get enough back into her lungs.

Reno pulled her to him and caught her as her knees went out from beneath her. Over her head, he caught sight of Rude, who had managed to circle around for backup if it had been needed. He had let Reno handle it, though, and it gave Reno immense satisfaction that he had finally put a bullet in security chief's head.


	11. Heartbreak

_Getting closer to the end, sadly. I've found that even though I had the ending in mind from the beginning, I simply hate to end things, and I think that has been slowing me down. Hopefully not too badly, though. Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Heartbreak

"You knew."

Reno was leaning against the window jam, looking out at the darkness that covered the city. The paleness on the horizon promised morning was not too far off. He glanced back at Bryn. She was curled up on the couch, leaning back against the arm rest, holding her head in one hand. She still wasn't looking at him, but she had finally spoken. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

"Yes. I knew. Once Elena and Tseng started to dig for information, it was painfully obvious."

"Yes, obvious." There was a long pause. "To everyone but me."

"Bryn, I…"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Reno turned his back to the wall next to the window and let his head thump back against the wall. Why did this crap always happen to him? He spent his life being the bad boy; he wasn't one to complain about getting paid for something he did well. It was ironic how the few times he tried to do the right things it somehow got screwed up anyway. Usually, he gave it an "ah, fuck it" and shrugged it off. This time, he couldn't do it; he didn't want to walk away. "I offered. Would you have believed me?"

Would she? She wasn't sure. Probably not. She had heard it from her own father, and she still wasn't sure she believed. She certainly didn't understand it, and couldn't find a way to justify it. Reno was right; he had offered to tell her the truth. Maybe she just hadn't wanted to know.

"I'm sorry. I don't blame you for this. I just feel so…stupid." That was certainly a hard truth. She hadn't bothered to look further than the surface, and now everything she thought she knew had been turned upside down. She rubbed her temples. Her head had been pounding since the adrenaline had subsided.

Reno pushed away from the wall heading for the kitchen. He came back a few minutes later and sat beside her on the edge of the sofa.

"Here. Take these." He held out two aspirin and a glass of water. She took them both at once.

"You're not stupid, Bryn. There was no way you could have known." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a PDA. "Read this. There's one more thing you need to know."

She looked up at him then, and the pain and despair he saw sent a jolt through him. Although the tears had finally dried, her eyes remained bloodshot and blurry. But as she read silently, the tears started to fall again.

"I thought he was my father."

"But he wasn't." Silently he hoped that knowing that would help make her feel better. He wasn't used to dealing with this type of emotion. There was no room for it in the life he led. He wouldn't be able to do his job if there were. The people he was usually around either didn't feel it or didn't display it. They kept it hidden. Hell, he hid his own feelings in the bottom of a bottle when he needed to.

He turned to her, unsure of how to help. He couldn't drown this in a bottle; it wasn't his pain to drown. He couldn't be a smartass. In fact he couldn't find anything humorous about it. How unlike him that felt. What else could he do? There was no one to give him orders, and no one to take care of it for him. And worse than the confusion of how to help was the fear that anything he might do may be the wrong thing.

He leaned into her slowly, framing her face with his hands, and when she didn't pull away, he rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed. He kissed her mouth, his lips soft and warm, demanding nothing, simply looking to sooth. He could taste the salt of her tears, and he kissed them away from her cheeks, moving slowly, nuzzling into the soft skin between kisses. This was the first time he had ever offered consolation to anyone, the first time he had wanted to, and as he pressed his face into the softness of the hair and skin at the hollow of her neck, holding her tightly, he was in awe of how right it felt.

"I'm really sick of crying. You would think I wouldn't have any tears left." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "You remember that drink you gave me after the bombing?"

Reno nodded against her skin, unwilling to move. "Yeah, I remember."

"I could really use one of them right now."

They laughed together, his head dropping to her shoulder. When he sat back up, her eyes were a tiny bit brighter, more hopeful than they had been.

"I don't know that it would be a good idea with the headache you've got."

She shrugged. "Probably not, no." She kissed his ear where it rested near her lips. "What about my…father…I don't know what to call him. How am I ever going to explain what happened?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

"No?"

"No. It's been taken care of. As far as anyone is concerned, you were in at the Shinra building when it happened. It was an assassination. Considering all the attempts on your life, it was an easy cover."

"What about all the others that were there? The security?"

He pulled back, searching her eyes. "You know what I am, Bryn, what I do, who I work for. Do you really need me to answer that question?"

She pulled her knees up, resting her chin on them. "No. I guess not."

He turned away. "Does it bother you?" He didn't want to risk facing her when she answered.

"What?"

"Who I am. What I do."

Wrapping her hand in the ponytail hanging down his back, she gave a gentle tug. "I knew all that when I met you, Reno. If it bothered me, I wouldn't have been attracted to you."

He raised his eyebrows disbelievingly. "You mean my charm wouldn't have been enough?"

"Not by a long shot." Smiling smugly, she was not so gentle when she tugged the ponytail this time.

"Ouch," he cried out in mock pain. "You like pulling my hair, don't you?"

She ran her fingers through the unruly locks around his face. "I just like your hair, Reno." She could see how much her words pleased him, which made her not want to say what she needed to. "Reno, I'm going to have to leave for a while." The immediate wariness in his eyes stung her, but she had been thinking about this, and knew it was the right thing to do. "I have to. I need to be able to deal with all this, make peace with it, and I can't do it here."

Hopping up off the couch, he paced the room a couple of times before coming to a stop.

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm…"

"You have a place to go?"

His reaction puzzled her. His sudden distance made it clear something was wrong. "Yes. A friend from school has a house I can stay in."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "You know if you need me…" His heart was racing suddenly, a desperate feeling of loss locking around it. He knew this was when he would find out she didn't need him, didn't want him. She would go away, rebuild her life and he would simply fade into the past, a past that she wouldn't want to remember.

"I need to do this alone, Reno." And there it was, the hurt and rejection so clear in his eyes, and yet he smiled a bit, turning to gesture at the door.

"I forgot…I have something I need to take care of Bryn." He was already backing away. "When will you be leaving?"

She had hurt him terribly, she knew, and now he had shut down, shut her out.

"I…I'm leaving this morning. I think its best."

He nodded, turned away, his hand on the door knob. He had to ask one more question before he left.

"How long?"

"I don't know. It will take at least a few months for the financial things to be ironed out. At least that long. Reno, I…"

"You know how to reach me."

The door had closed behind him before she had a chance to say anything more.

Reno paused outside the door briefly, swallowing the lump that had risen in his throat, and then walked quickly down the hall wondering how big a bottle he would need to drown this in.


	12. Mourning

_Yes! I did it! This was a tough one; trying to figure out whose emotional baggage to deal with first almost game ME emotional baggage! But I would not be defeated! I tried to keep it as real as possible. I didn't worry too much about the OC I added; she's just a voice on a phone with some good advice. I did worry a bit about Elena, though. Not having played it, I don't know her character all that well, but I understand she is friends with Reno, and I figured if anyone was going to speak their mind, this might be how it happened. I may have taken a few liberties with her, so if she is out of character, my apologies._

_Enjoy._

Mourning

In the age old dance of time, weeks went by, turning slowly into months. But betrayal, especially that of the heart, is not so easily healed.

Finally away from home, Bryn found herself having to mourn a man that she had thought of as her father her entire life, despite the anger that ate at her. Her anger was two-fold; her anger towards him for what he had done to her and the lies he had told along the way, and her anger towards herself for accepting everything in her life without question, and how she handled it all. Her brain knew she had been left with no other choice, but knowing it didn't make her heart feel any better.

Then there was how she left it with Reno. That last day with him remained a mystery. She had thought everything was fine, that he understood, but he had turned a cold shoulder and walked out. She had waited as long as she could for him to return, but in the end she left without saying goodbye. What the hell had happened? She didn't know what to feel about that. Whenever she tried to rationalize it, it tangled up in her mind, and then her emotions, leaving her with a lump in her throat as she choked back tears of frustration. She knew she had to work this out, but she had to work out the rest of her life first.

Dealing with the day-to-day tasks of cleaning up the mess the estate had been left in didn't help ease the pain or the anger, but it did help provide for a distraction from dealing with her other feelings.

Her friend's house was beautiful, set by the water with lots of windows and a balcony that overlooked the beach and just far enough away from neighbors to insure her a bit of privacy. She had hoped it would provide her with the peace she needed to nurse her wounds.

From her first day there, she had been proven wrong. The phone calls started first thing in the morning, and by mid-afternoon, there was a string of people coming and going, a litany of questions to answer, plans to be made for her father's memorial service, and tons of papers to be gone over concerning the state of his business. By the time she had shut the door at the end of the day, she had wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and drown in her tears.

She reached for the phone then, dialing without thinking, and, just as she started to push send, realized it was Reno's number she was dialing. She hung up immediately, holding the phone to her head. No, she could not allow herself to lean on him for this. She needed to know what she felt for him was real, that what she felt was hers and that it wasn't about needing a shoulder to cry on, or about relying on Reno to keep her alive or rescue her, or about simply being rebellious against her father.

The phone rang as she was thinking, startling her. She wiped the tears from her eyes enough to see the number on the tiny screen, and was relieved that it was the number of her friend. She flipped the phone open.

"Hello Kira."

"Hey, Bryn. How are you doing?"

"Not so good right now. I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"You want me to come up there and stay with you?"

Bryn considered it. "I don't think so. I think I need to be alone for a while."

"I understand that, but if you need me, don't hesitate to call."

Bryn smiled through the tears. "Thank you. It's good to know I can call. Hey, Kira? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Hon. Anything."

"I was too young to remember losing my mom. How do you…deal with it all?"

Kira sighed, the memory of her own mother's death coming back to her. "You just deal with it, Bryn, one second at a time, knowing that even if it feels like it, this pain won't kill you. You cry till it seems you don't have tears left, then you cry some more, and you breath through the pain until, little by little, it becomes a little easier to breath."

Bryn didn't bother telling Kira the nasty truth. She figured mourning was mourning, even if it wasn't specifically for the man she had known as her father. What she didn't figure was that the anger would be harder to let go of.

Time passed, and things did get easier. Bryn found she didn't trust the people that worked for her father. How many people had been in on his dirty little secrets? She didn't know, and decided she didn't really want to find out, so the first order of business was to do some house cleaning, figuratively speaking. She did contact Kira once more for recommendations, which Kira was more than happy to give, and, after contacting them, Bryn found things moved much more smoothly.

Money turned out not to be an issue. While her father had been in deep water, her trust fund guaranteed her financial well-being. The advice she received was to dump her father's businesses, get what she could for them, and leave it all behind. That was fine with her; it conveniently provided her with the clean slate she had been hoping for and, despite the business doing poorly, she walked away with a hefty profit. There was also the life insurance, which was quite a settlement, but Bryn felt guilty about it; she couldn't tell them she wasn't entitled to it, that she had killed the man. In the end, she donated the money, under the pretense that it was what her father would have wanted. It was a lie, but a solution that she could live with.

She also made the decision to have the house rebuilt, which was done during the long-drawn out process that left Bryn drained. While she had people working to keep that process as short as possible, it still took weeks for the chaos to settle, and while Kira kept her offer open to visit, she respected Bryn's wishes for privacy; and finally Bryn had time to simply live with her thoughts.

Oddly, as much as she tried to keep them focused, her thoughts kept returning to one thing, or one person. Reno.

Was she looking for an escape? A distraction? To be rescued? These questions constantly nagged at her self-doubt, which had increased dramatically with the recent events.

Or did she miss him that much?

In the end, it was her dreams that decided it.

At first, it had been nightmares. Various scenarios played themselves over in her subconscious mind as she slept; that flash of light as the gun went off that night, or the jolt awake as she felt the recoil of the weapon; her father laughing over her lifeless body; worse, Derrick laughing over her living body. Sleep quickly became impossible until she reached the point of total exhaustion, and when it did come it was seldom undisturbed.

Over time, however, the nightmares faded and her sleep became uninterrupted. If there were dreams, she didn't remember them, and her body and mind were finally allowed the rest they needed.

Then, as quickly as the nightmares left, the dreams began. Reno invaded her dreams as he had invaded her life; flashes of suggestive flirtation, of rushed, desperate lust, and of tender moments she had never expected from him.

Upon waking, the memories her dreams inspired made her blush; how easy it had been for him to win her over. Had she ever stood a chance?

She thought she had isolated herself well enough not to be surprised with things that reminded her of him, but she had failed. Going through her clothes one afternoon, she found his shirt, the shirt she had worn the day after the house had been destroyed. His scent lingered in the material, and holding it to her face, she imagined she could feel the heat of his skin through it. He had noticed the shirt on her, oh yes; something in the way his eyes lit up and the set of his face had told her he definitely noticed. But he hadn't said anything about it, and afterwards, hadn't mentioned missing it.

She had just put the shirt on, holding it close around her, when the doorbell rang, startling her into a guilty blush. Silently, she scolded herself; she hadn't done a damn thing wrong. She went to the door, carelessly opening it without checking to see who it was.

Elena was the last person she would ever have expected.

She stood in the doorway, speechless for a moment before forcing her mouth to work.

"Elena."

"Can I come in?" Elena was already walking past Bryn, moving through the house, glancing about as she went. Bryn followed her to the deck, where Elena stood against the rail looking out at the water.

"It's a beautiful view." She didn't turn back as she spoke, her voice so soft Bryn had to strain to hear it.

"Yes. Elena, is Reno okay? You would have told me right away if something happened, right?"

Elena turned to her, scrutinizing Bryn closely.

"So you do care."

Bryn flinched.

"What? I…"

"That's his shirt, isn't it?"

Caught off guard, Bryn looked down at herself. She had completely forgotten about the shirt.

"Yes."

Elena nodded, turning to look out at the water again.

"He doesn't know I'm here, you know. I didn't tell him I was coming here, and I won't."

A tightness in Bryn's chest loosened.

"He's okay, then."

Elena turned back to her. "I'm going to make this as short and sweet as I can, Bryn. Reno is a Turk, and Turks look out for each other. On top of that, I consider him a friend. I know what his reputation is, but more importantly, I know what he is really like. I don't know what happened between the two of you, and I don't want to know the details, but I want you to know three things while you're out here trying to figure things out, or whatever you want to call it. First you should know that he considered you more than another assignment; he really put his ass on the line for you with that last little bit of clean-up. I can count on one hand the people that he would do that for. Second, I don't know how it started, but whatever you and he had was not a passing fling. And third…" She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath as if it hurt. "Third; Tseng is always warning us not to mix business with pleasure, not to compromise ourselves with personal feelings for each other. But that doesn't mean we don't have that need. We are human, Bryn. We want to be wanted, needed. We want to know that when we leave this hellish job at the end of the day, there is someone out there that knows what we are and still accepts us, still loves us, and there are not many outside the Turks that can do that. It's not often one of us finds that someone, and for whatever it's worth, and for however short a time it was or may be, thank you for being that for Reno."

She turned then, making her way back to the door. Bryn gaped for a moment, an all too familiar stinging at the backs of her eyes, and then followed her quickly, ending up standing at the door and watching Elena walk away. She turned back to Bryn just before she stepped into the shiny black Shinra issue car.

"By the way, it looks good on you, you know. It looks like a keeper."

She stepped into the car and was gone seconds later.


	13. Oblivion

_Reno is being very stubborn with me. He just doesn't want to share! _

_Seriously, this was a tough one. I re-wrote and re-arranged until I couldn't see straight anymore, and finally sat down this morning and just DID it. On top of that, my proof-reader isn't around to make sure I'm at least making sense. In other words, I'm hoping it's at least consistent! I'm also having a difficult time because this is coming to an end (possibly only one more chapter), and I don't like to end things. _

_I guess I should warn about the couple of colorful words, but this is rated M and I tried to keep their use realistic._

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Oblivion

"Reno."

"Hn?"

"Reno!"

He pulled out of the chopper door fast enough that he caught his head on the edge of the door.

"Fuck! Look what you made me do." He drew his hand back from his head to make sure he hadn't drawn blood. "What the hell do you want, Tseng?" He whined, rubbing his head again.

"It serves you right. Reno, that's the wrong chopper."

"Wha?" He looked up at the chopper, squinting to see the id number, and found, sure enough, that it wasn't the one assigned to the mission.

"So what?" He shrugged. "We can use this one instead."

"This one won't even fly, Reno. It's waiting for repair."

Reno leaned against the edge of the chopper, bowing his head down between his long arms.

"Fine, Tseng. I'll take care of it." He was already carrying a large duffel bag to the assigned chopper.

"Reno."

"Fuck, Tseng. What now?" He turned back, shoulders slumping in annoyance.

"Do we need to talk about something?" He was trying to be polite, trying to offer the man a chance to deal with this before it got out of control.

"No." Reno turned away. "There's nothing to talk about, Tseng."

"Are you sure?"

"Just let it drop."

Tseng kept his silence, observing Reno from a distance.

Reno was working, slumping his way through his days at Shinra, and, like he had promised himself, drowning all his emotions in a bottle when he was not working. He was silent and moody, flying off the handle more than usual, and his attitude had become so harsh it was hardly tolerable, even to those who knew what he was going through.

Rude tagged along with him, even on off hours, making sure he didn't drink himself into oblivion. Reno was his partner, and, more importantly, his friend, and whatever happened Rude was going to make sure Reno was able to drag himself to work and get his job done.

No one dared to speak to him directly about what the problem was. As with Tseng, he had made it more than clear that the subject was completely taboo.

Reno, for his part, was in complete denial and, therefore, completely unaware of what a bastard he was becoming.

When they returned from the mission, Rude was the one that got called to answer for Reno's behavior.

"Is he still reliable?" Leave it to Tseng to get right to the point.

Rude shrugged. "You should be talking to him about this."

"I have tried. He completely avoids discussing it with me. If this continues, it will be Rufus asking questions next."

"Look Tseng, you know what he's going through…"

"Yes, but he's a Turk, first, and I have to know that he will be able to do his job."

Rude gave him his coldest, flattest stare. "I'll do my best to make sure he remembers that. I'm sure you will, as well." With that, he turned and left the office.

He found Reno in a bar. No surprise there. He had lost him temporarily, thanks to Tseng asking to see him, but he had a pretty good idea of Reno's habits. By the time he tracked him down, Reno was nursing a drink at the bar, which meant he had already shot a few back. Rude took him by the arm and steered him to a table, in the hopes it would give him a bit more control over the flow of alcohol. He ordered his own drink, and was in the middle of taking a sip when he spotted Elena at a corner table.

Elena was also keeping an eye on Reno, but kept her concern low-key, occasionally checking with Rude about how Reno was handling things, and backing them up on missions whenever she could in the event that Reno came up short on the task. Finding her here was the first indication of how concerned she really was.

Rude made his way to her table, leaving Reno with a half glass wrapped in one hand and his head sunk down on his arms.

"How's he doing?" Elena asked as Rude sat opposite her.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Has he talked to you about it?"

Rude snorted. "Are you kidding? He's talking to me about as much as he's talking to anybody."

Elena looked down in her drink. "Something has to give, Rude. He's starting to mess up at work; small things, but people are noticing." Rude didn't tell her about the conversation he had already had with Tseng. "He has to deal with this before it breaks him."

"Elena. Do you think this can turn out any way that he'll be happy?"

Eyes wide, Elena shook her head. "I don't know. Tseng is always saying…well, you know his take on relationships, but we all need someone, Rude."

"That someone could be a distraction," he interrupted.

"Look at him, Rude. You think he's not distracted now? And it's getting worse. How long do you think it will be before he gets someone hurt or killed, or worse, gets hurt or killed himself? He was actually getting sharper when Bryn was around. He was better at what he did, more focused, and he was looking forward to going home at night. I think he even managed to sleep."

Rude hid his frown in his drink. There was no denying the truth of Elena's words.

"We all need someone who loves us no matter what. I thought Reno had found it. What happened between them?"

It seemed that was the question of the day, but the only one who was sure he had an answer was Reno.

What had happened, he mused silently, as the alcohol stung down his throat, was that the one person he had begun to feel…something…for had up and left him flat. She needed to sort things out. That was never a good sign, was it? What had he felt for her, anyway? He wasn't even sure. That wasn't important, anyway. It wasn't what he felt for her, it was the way she made him feel; needed, wanted, accepted. Hell, he couldn't even find the words to describe how he felt the morning he woke to find her tracing his body with her eyes. Had anyone ever looked at him like that? Would anyone ever again?

It was all gone, he knew. By now, she had realized the truth about him. How could she love a man…

"Love." He muttered into the glass. "What the fuck?" He shot back the rest of the drink. "Nobody loves a Turk." He swung up and out of the chair, and vertigo claimed him. Reno was unaware of the arms that caught him as he passed gratefully into oblivion.


	14. Broken

_Don't hit me for this one. Really. It's not like I'm enjoying Reno's misery. I like Reno, really I do. He's just having a major case of "PJTC" (prematurely jumping to conclusions). But doesn't it make you just want to wrap him up and take him home? _

_I know. I said this would be the last chapter. It's not. But I am close. _

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Broken

Reno leaned his back against the wall and slid down to a squat, catching his breath. He forced himself to wait by counting backwards from five before taking the chance of throwing himself across the darkened street, rolling as he heard the gunfire, and then crashing into the cover of the next building. He didn't have time to stop now. From the way the bullets had narrowly missed him, plunking out pieces of concrete instead, they were onto him, and there was no choice but to stand and fight or run. He was in no shape to fight, so running it was. He took off down the alley, fully aware of the booted footsteps hitting the pavement from down the street and around the corner. He figured he had thirty seconds, maybe, before those boots rounded the corner. If he couldn't make himself scarce by then, he was done for.

He skidded to a sudden halt. Fuck. Where the hell was he? He searched the alley frantically for something that identified it. This should not be happening. He was on familiar ground. He knew these streets as if he had designed them himself and yet he was drawing a blank. Desperate, knowing time was working against him, he spied a fire escape ladder, and made a running leap, grabbing onto it, and nimbly climbing the first landing. One more flight and he threw himself into an open window, crouched down into the darkness and waited, listening.

The footsteps approached, slowed, then stopped.

"What the fuck?" He heard from below.

"Where'd he go?"

"He came this way. I know he did."

"Is there a way out of this alley?"

"What about the fire escape?"

Reno's held his breath.

"Nah. No way anyone could get up there."

"Hn. I thought I had heard…"

"You're always hearing things."

Reno let the breath go. Somewhere further out, there was a shout.

"Here! There's a hole in the fence back here."

Reno waited a good while for the footsteps to fade and for his heart and breathing to return to something resembling normal before carefully making his way back to the rendezvous point.

Tseng was not happy. He knew something had gone wrong out there, he just didn't know what. Elena and Rude stood facing him, both wearing their blankest faces, which in Rudes case was his usual, but in Elena's case, well, she just couldn't hide like Rude could. The pinch of worry around her eyes didn't escape Tseng's notice, but when he pressed her for an explanation, she somehow managed to remain silent.

He turned to Reno, who looked like shit.

"You look like you were trampled by a herd of chocobos."

He flashed Tseng his most flirtatious grin. "Why, Boss! You do care!"

"Eighty-six it, Reno. What happened?"

"Well it's really quite simple, Boss. Herd of Chocobos plus one red-headed turk plus darkness equals a disaster waiting to happen. Really, Tseng. I thought you were better at math than that."

Tseng narrowed his eyes. "You're off duty. Until further notice."

Reno stood up from the chair he was flopped in, a smirk lighting his face, and saluted as he strolled out of the room.

"Once again rewarded for a job well done." The door slammed behind him.

Rude followed without a word. Elena paused at the door, speaking over her shoulder before pulling the door closed.

"Just because you don't have feelings doesn't mean the rest of us don't." She didn't see how her words made him flinch. She never saw the sorrow in his eyes. She never heard Tseng's response, spoken to an empty room.

"If you only knew the feelings I have Elena." He sat down at his desk, resting his head on his hands. "I just don't want to hurt you…or myself."

Reno wasted no time getting out of the Shinra compound. Rude was hard-pressed to keep up with him, and Elena knew where he was going only because Rude rang her cell phone as she left Tseng's office. They were both disappointed with Tseng for not giving Reno a break before this. Tseng had kept Reno on call, even knowing Reno was having a tough time of it. He had let Shinra push Reno to the edge when he could have stopped it before it got this bad.

Neither Rude nor Elena, however, was going to let Reno off the hook. He had screwed up, screwed up bad, and nearly gotten Elena killed. He managed to scrape it together just in time, drawing the fire on himself despite his own injuries. It seemed like a noble idea, saving his fellow Turks from his own screw-up, but Rude and Elena both knew the truth. Reno wasn't only endangering them; he was becoming careless with his own safety.

His time to deal with this on his own was up; it was time to make him deal with it, like it or not.

They ended up in the hallway in front of his apartment door, looking as if they were ready to draw in a gunfight. Reno stood before the door facing down the hall at them, a dangerous expression on his face. Rude and Elena both looked like they were getting ready to duck for cover, but both knew they would go down before they ran. Surprisingly, it was Rude who spoke first.

"Reno, we need to deal with this."

"Look, I know I fucked up, but I fixed it in the end, ya know? It's all good."

"No. No it's not. You're feelings are getting in the way of doing your job. Tonight was proof of that. We all know it."

"We're worried about you, Reno." Elena took the chance of taking a step forward.

"You're worried…about me." Reno dropped his chin to his chest, shaking his head. When he looked up at them again, his eyes were cold, harshly lit with his anger, and his arrogant, cocky smile was in place.

"You shouldn't be, ya know? It's taken me a while, but I'm getting around to the truth. We do our job, never getting too close to anyone, because getting personal gets us hurt. Isn't that Tseng's oh-so-valuable advice. If only I'd known how fucking right he was. He should give himself a pat on the back for that one."

"Reno, that's not true. We all need someone. Tseng is the one who needs to learn the lesson."

He sneered at Elena. "Lesson? I'll tell ya what the lesson is, Elena. When you finally find that person, it only takes a bit of time before they learn the real truth."

"What truth is that, Reno?" Her voice had become small, and she could feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

He turned to unlock the door. "The truth, Elena, is that there no one for us. The truth is no one can love a Turk. We're not worth it."


	15. Lesson Learned

_Warning: Rated M for sexual content and adult themes._

_I never thought I'd get this far; I just wanted to stay suspended in the story. It's strange; I've known the last line since, well, you'll figure it out, but I've known it for a while now. I just needed to get there! Hopefully it will make sense when you read it and that it is a satisfying end to this story. _

_Thank you to all who have read, and special thanks to those who have taken the time to review. _

_Enjoy._

_fire mystic_

Lesson Learned

The soft opening and closing of the door behind him was the last thing he wanted to hear after having slammed it shut behind him and then raging through the room. Fists clenched against the wall on the far side of the room, he clenched his eyes shut and gritted his teeth to stem the rage rolling though him. He could hear her soft footsteps approaching, and wondered what she would do if he turned around and just let the rage go. He contained it, trembling uncontrollably with the effort.

"Please, Elena. Just leave it the fuck alone." He hated the sound of his own voice. He didn't recognize the hollow sound in it, and it frightened him. How the hell had he let this get to him like this?

His eyes snapped open at the slight tug as she wrapped her hand in the long tail of hair hanging down his back. He turned his head just enough to be sure he wasn't imagining things.

"I heard what you said, Reno. I…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't even know I had." Bryn's hand slowly slid out of his hair, a short harsh laugh escaping her lips. "That really sounds lame now, doesn't it?"

She was watching him carefully. He remained standing as he had been when she walked in the door. His head was turned so she could see his profile, but his eyes were now closed again. The muscles in his back were flexing, and his chest was heaving. Was he angry? Upset? Both? All she could do was hope he would hear her out.

"I was selfish, and now I don't know that my apology will make any difference. I did think about us while I was away, and I admit I did second guess us."

That caused a visible flinch in him, and she bit her lip. The last thing she had wanted was to hurt him further.

"It wasn't for the reason you think, Reno. I second guessed everything, and I thought I was doing the right thing. I wanted to make sure that I didn't want you just because I needed you. Does that make sense? I wanted to make sure it was real, not just an excuse not to deal. That wouldn't have been fair to either of us."

Bryn sighed. She had finally reached the point when she was ready to come home, seeing Reno being the foremost thought in her mind. Now she wasn't sure anything she said would make any difference.

"I'm sorry, Reno." There were other words she wanted to say, was desperate to say, but her voice cracked and she decided she had said enough.

She was a foot from the door when something crashed into the wall off to her right. A startled gasp escaped her as her senses flew into overdrive, her nerves screaming at her.

Silence. She didn't dare speak. She didn't dare turn. His anger was palpable, and those tiny hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end.

Oddly, it wasn't physical fear she felt. Her mind reeling, there was a small, lucid part of it that knew he wasn't going to hurt her. The object he had thrown hadn't even come close to her; if he had wanted it to hit her, she had no doubt it would have.

She knew he had moved when the heat of his body molded itself against her back. His breath whispered against her hair over the shell of her ear.

"Did you miss me?" Long, lean fingers brushed over her shoulders and down her arms. He didn't wait for a response.

"Did you miss the way I touch you?" He loosely shackled her wrists as he used his body to push her closer to the door. "Did you miss the feel of me pressed against you?" His fingers gripped her wrists with bruising force as he raised her hands above her head, stretching her against the wood, trapping her with the weight of his body against hers. He ground his hips into her. "Did you miss the way I fucked you?" The words were hissed, dripping with anger, directly into the shell of her ear.

His voice broke to a whisper.

"Did you miss making love with me?"

He felt the sob convulse in her chest before he heard it, and it brought with it a twist of satisfaction to Reno. He wasn't going to let her walk out that door without reminding her of the heat between them. It was so much more than that, but he had never shared those feelings with her, not with words. This was the only way he could think to express himself.

He held her there, with his hands, with his body, held her while the sobs shook her body. He had no intention of letting her go till he had an answer.

Slowly, her body settled, becoming quiet. Her head hung as low as it could with her hands braced above her head as they were. His eyes slipped closed as he turned his face into her hair and breathed her scent, waiting for whatever answer she would give.

"The nightmares were awful." Her voice betrayed the tears still trailing from her eyes. "They were worse than the reality, but they faded, and as they did, I got my dreams back.

"You are in all of them, Reno."

Are. Present tense. Had he heard her right? Had he been wrong about how she felt?

Reno's arms dropped to wrap around her pulling her back into his body with brutal force.

"You didn't come here to say goodbye?"

"What? No. I just got back and this was the first place I thought to find you. I couldn't wait to see you."

He tightened his grip, bringing her with him as he made his way back into the small living room and, taking them both to their knees, buried his face in the length of her hair.

"Bryn." It was a strangled gasp breathed against her neck, and she wondered if she had even heard it correctly. He held her like that for long moments, not speaking, not moving. Simply inhaling her scent and basking in the heat radiating from her body.

She felt like home.

"Reno…" So softly she said his name, yet it was full of raw emotion, lust, desperation, and something so much deeper. It flowed through him like a current. He thought he would never hear her say his name like that again.

"Tell me what you want, Bryn."

"You. I want you, Reno. How could you doubt it?"

Her words were like a balm to him, soothing him in one breath and igniting him in the next.

He released her, hands tracing down her body to sweep back up, fingers pressing firmly into her skin, pushing her short skirt up and over her hips, out of his way. The anger and pain that he had been suffering mingled with the coil of deep emotions he felt for her made his movements violent.

Through the haze that was quickly consuming his brain, he noticed that Bryn didn't flinch from his aggression. On the contrary, she leaned into his touch, her body naturally clinging to him. He drew a butterfly out of his pocket and flipped it open. Bryn went still beneath him, inhaling sharply and holding her breath, her head turned just enough to see the smooth swish of the blade opening. Reno caught the expression on her face and flipped the blade closed and open again, watching her. Was that excitement he saw? Did she enjoy the play of the blade? The danger it presented? The thought of it spiked something primal in him. She still wanted him, still trusted him, and that knowledge was like a potent drug racing through his veins.

The lacey undergarments were gone as if with a thought. He dropped the butterfly on the floor and managed to get his own clothing out of the way.

There was a moment of perfect stillness, silent except for their harsh breathing.

"Tell me..."

"Goddess, Reno. Please! I need you."

Her words ended in a harsh cry as he thrust into her, unheeding of all else but the need to feel her wrapped around him. He surged deep, once, twice, three times, each time drawing a ragged cry from her.

Bryn hadn't anticipated the pain. She wanted him, yes, with an acuteness that was torturous, but she was not prepared for the strength behind the sudden full thrusts. The cries she couldn't contain, but this wasn't about her; he needed this, and she knew her body would adjust.

He stopped abruptly, his head coming to rest against her back. He withdrew from her body and flipped her onto her back, kneeling between her parted knees and pressing a kiss to the inside of one knee.

"I'm hurting you." His fingers found soft, swollen skin, barely grazing. "I don't want to hurt you." His leaned into her then, his lips replacing his fingers with kisses meant to sooth. Of course, soothing was not the end result. The choked sound she made sounded anguished, but when he lifted his eyes, he found her head thrown back and her hands frantically reaching for something, anything to hold onto. He took her hands in his, grounding her while his mouth and tongue moved over her, exploring slick folds, lapping at swollen flesh. She was quivering uncontrollably when he moved up her body, flicking his tongue here, leaving a trail of fire there. He rested his head against the curve of her neck, waiting for her body to calm a bit. He felt like he would spontaneously combust, but he wanted it to last.

Bryn shifted slightly to press a kiss against his ear. He raised his head slowly to look at her, and the intensity of need etched in his features took her breath away. His eyes, luminous and captivating to begin with, had attained a deeper, darker shade of green and were sparkling in the dimming light of the room. She knew, without doubt, that he had never looked at anyone the way he was looking at her in that moment.

"I didn't think I would see you again." He whispered.

"I couldn't stay away."

He rose up over her, body to body, his face lowering until he took possession of her mouth, lips clinging, tongue dipping deep within to taste.

He could kiss her like this, just like this, forever, their lips separating only long enough to gasp air. He would never get tired of the way she tasted, of the way she met his kiss, how her lips followed his, demanding, hesitant to release him, and always drawing him back for more while her hands pulled him closer, demanding the same from his body. He couldn't believe he had doubted their growing feelings for each other.

He entered her body without breaking the kiss and began a whisper of motion within her. Just that and she was moaning into his mouth, the sound urging him on, his body deepening its thrust as he deepened the kiss, nipping at her lips and tongue.

Bryn wrapped herself around him, pulling him to her, opening to him, using her body to convey feelings that had yet to be put into words. Those elusive words would come eventually, but for now they found healing comfort in something more familiar.

His thrusts become more urgent, and she followed his lead, allowing him whatever control he could maintain. He wondered that he wasn't hurting her, yet she met every stroke with pleas for more. She wondered if she would simply ignite from the pleasure he gave her.

He shifted to his knees, the change of angle and friction driving Bryn into orgasm, and into that impossibly tight, grasping heat, Reno succumbed, an agonizingly slow, melting sensation that started from the base of his spine and rippled through his body, sapping the strength from him and collapsing him into Bryn's arms.

He would move in a second; he just needed to catch his breath. He needed reassurance that she wasn't going to fade away, the vestiges of a dream. She didn't fade. Instead, he felt her laughing. What the hell?

"What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking about your preferred method of removing my clothing."

He turned to find her gingerly fingering the butterfly she had picked up from where he dropped it. She picked it up, turning it so the blade flashed.

His chuckle was low and deep, masculine; satisfied.

"You liked it."

Her eyes met his, and he knew he was right before her next whispered words.

"Will you show me how to use one?"

He ran his hand down her arm till he could take the knife from her, then watched her fascination as he flipped it closed and placed it back in her hand.

"Later. Definitely later. Right now, I need a shower." He hopped up, extending a hand to help her, then kicked off his shoes and pants and went to work on the buttons of his shirt as he moved towards the bathroom. Turning back at the door, he found her still standing in the middle of the room.

"Hey, you coming or what?"

Shower done, they curled up on the bed. It wasn't long before Reno's breathing deepened, and Bryn felt his body relax into sleep. Bryn stayed awake long into the night, aware of nothing but the man pressed against her back. He was warm, so warm, and she could feel the hidden strength within his lean body and arms, which remained wrapped securely around her. He slept soundly, hardly moving, and if she held her breath, she could feel his heart beat, a slow, steady thud against her back. He mumbled in his sleep, mostly incoherent, but occasionally a word or two became clear. She fell asleep thinking that despite what they had been through, they still had so much to learn about one another, and she could think of nothing she wanted more.

She woke sometime during the night, and was immediately aware that she was alone. She sat up, looking around, and glimpsed soft light coming through the partially closed bedroom door. Going to the closet, she pulled out one of Reno's shirts and, slipping it on, leaving the cuffs to hang over her hands, made her way out of the bedroom.

Reno was sprawled out on the couch, cell phone pressed to his ear. While she would have retreated and left him to his call, Reno extended an arm, beckoning her to him, and she tiptoed across the floor. He wrapped a hand in the fabric of his own shirt and pulled her down for a silent, tender kiss, their lips clinging for long seconds, managing to roll her over him so she was lying stretched between him and the back of the couch, draped partially across his body. He broke the kiss to speak into the phone.

"Yeah, Tseng. I hear ya. Later." He flipped the phone closed. "Sorry about that. I didn't want to wake you up."

"You don't need to explain, Reno. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Just business."

"Do you have to leave?"

"No." He frowned slightly and his eyes became shadowed just before he turned away from her. "Listen, about that." He sighed. "About me being a Turk. You really okay with that?"

She hooked a finger and turned his chin to face her, tracing the tattoos under his eyes. "I'm okay with that."

"It's not a pretty job, Bryn. I go when they call me, I'm always in the line of fire, and I don't hesitate when pulling the trigger."

"Are you trying to scare me?"

"Am I?" He shrugged. "Maybe. Probably. I just want to make sure you're walking into this with your eyes open."

"I don't have any illusions about who and what you are, Reno. Or about what you do for a living."

"And when I don't come home on time?"

"I'll worry and wait."

"And when I come home covered in blood?"

She stroked the bangs away from his eyes.

"I'll help wash it off."

"When I come home bruised and bleeding?"

She kissed him high on his cheek over one tattoo.

"I'll patch you up and kiss your pain away."

One more thing he needed to know.

"And if I just need you?"

Bryn leaned up, capturing his lips in a heartfelt promise of a kiss.

"Can I quote someone dear to my heart?"

His brow furrowed slightly, and she smirked at his puzzled expression.

"Sure."

"Hm. Let's see, how did he put it? Oh yes."

The last bit of playfulness left her expression. She reached around, pulling the long red tail of hair forward, letting the strands tangle in her fingers as she wrapped her hand in it securely.

"As long as you want me there, Reno, I'll be there when you need me."

* * *

_For those who have reached this point and would like to continue reading, I am currently working on a sequel, "Treachery and Devotion", the first chapters of which have been posted under that name. I hope you have enjoyed this, and continue to do so. Thank you. fire mystic_


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